Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policy template

2. Policy statement

{{org.name}} treats PPE as the final layer of protection, applied after risks have been reduced at source. Where a risk assessment identifies PPE as necessary, {{org.name}} provides it free of charge, ensures it fits and suits the wearer, and requires it to be worn — a task that requires PPE does not start without it.

No worker will ever be charged for required PPE, asked to buy their own, or have costs deducted from pay.

3. Responsibilities

• [Name/role] owns this policy, the PPE register, and the stock of consumable PPE.
• Managers: enforce the wearing rules in their area, stop tasks where required PPE is missing or defective, and never signal that speed beats protection.
• Workers: wear the PPE specified for the task, check it before use, store it properly, report loss, damage, and defects immediately, and never modify it.
• Purchasing ([name/role]): buys only PPE that carries the required conformity marking and matches the specification set by the risk assessment.

4. Selecting and providing PPE

• PPE requirements are set by risk assessment, task by task — the assessment names the type and standard of PPE, not just "gloves" or "goggles": [reference your risk assessment register].
• Selection considers the wearer as well as the hazard: fit, comfort for the duration worn, compatibility with other PPE ([e.g. eye protection with respiratory protection]), and any individual needs such as prescription eyewear or religious dress.
• Workers are involved in trials before a PPE line is standardised — equipment people find unbearable will not be worn, whatever the policy says.
• PPE issue is recorded per person in [system/register]; consumables ([e.g. disposable gloves]) are stocked at [locations] and never allowed to run out.

5. Using and wearing PPE

• PPE specified for a task or area is mandatory: signage marks mandatory-PPE areas at [locations].
• Check PPE before each use — damaged, contaminated, or ill-fitting PPE is exchanged before work starts, without question or cost.
• Anyone may stop a task where required PPE is missing; managers resolve the gap rather than working around it.
• Repeated refusal to wear required PPE is a safety issue and is handled under our disciplinary policy — but the first response is always to ask why, since discomfort or poor fit usually signals a selection problem.
• Visitors and contractors entering mandatory-PPE areas are provided with [loan PPE items] at [location] and briefed before entry.

6. Storage, maintenance, and replacement

• Reusable PPE is stored clean and dry at [location], not left on machines, in vehicles, or in damp lockers.
• Maintenance and inspection follow the manufacturer's instructions: [set intervals per item, e.g. inspect eye protection weekly, deep-clean hearing defenders monthly].
• PPE is replaced when damaged, degraded, or past the manufacturer's usable life — replacement is free and immediate; a worker should never be weighing up whether to report a worn-out item.
• Disposable PPE is single-use: used items go in [disposal arrangement], especially after chemical or biological contamination.

7. Training and information

Every worker issued with PPE is trained before first use: the risks the PPE protects against, how to put it on, adjust, and remove it, how to check it, how to store it, and its limits — what it does not protect against. Fit is checked at issue, and again if the wearer's circumstances change.

Training is recorded per person in [system], and refreshed [frequency] or when equipment changes.

8. Records and review

The PPE register, issue records, inspection and maintenance logs, and training records are kept in [system/location] and retained for [period].

This policy is reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually], after any incident where PPE failed or was not worn, and when tasks, substances, or equipment change. Owner: [name/role]. Next review due: [date].