One of the problems companies are faced with is getting employees to wear the required personal protective equipment, or PPE. This can be especially difficult if you are trying to establish a new PPE program or make changes to an existing program. Humans are resistant to change and often come up with excuses for why the change is not necessary. “I have done this task my whole career and haven’t gotten injured. I don’t think I need this new PPE.” or “I am careful. I won’t get hurt, therefore I don’t need it.” The employees equate not having gotten injured with not having the potential to get injured.
Ignoring the problem will not have it go away and could result in an injury. Disciplinary action can be effective, but is often difficult to administer evenly and can also create a negative work atmosphere. So, what can be done?
PPE compliance requires getting the employees to buy into the safety culture. If the employees do not buy in, PPE use will only occur when the employees believe they are being watched. We need to convince the employees that it is in their best interest to wear the PPE.
If you have real life examples from your facility or company, share where PPE prevented an injury or made the injury less serious. Also, share any instances where not wearing PPE resulted in an injury or increased the severity of the injury. If you don’t have any examples from your facility, the internet has plenty of examples. Choose ones that represent your industry and share them with your employees.
Stress the meaning of the first “P” in PPE – Personal. Stress that the PPE protects you – the person wearing it. Not the boss or supervisor, but you.
Stress the meaning of the first “P” in PPE – Personal. Stress that the PPE protects you – the person wearing it. Not the boss or supervisor, but you.
PPE is our last line of defense in preventing injuries and exposures. We all need to wear the required PPE to go home to our loved ones at the end of our shifts.
CMI works with many employers to identify the hazards at their workplace, and recommend appropriate PPE to help protect their workers. We can also assist to conduct informative, engaging, and site-specific PPE training and hands-on activities to ensure employees understand what PPE should be worn for their job tasks, and how to properly wear and care for it. If you need assistance with your PPE program, we would be happy to help!
Written by: Peter Schlenker, CMI Associate Health and Safety Specialist
Questions? Contact us