Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing or “PPE” refers to the equipment to wear on site that will protect and limit employee’s exposure to harmful hazards.
It is the Contractor’s responsibility to identify these safety hazards and thereafter make an attempt to remove the hazards, should it not be possible to remove the hazard then and only then workers' exposure to these hazards must be provided with suitable PPE.

All construction sites should be declared hard hat zones. Hard hats must be provided to all employees and visitors and no one will be permitted on site without wearing a hard hat. Persons that fail to wear their hard hats must be escorted off the site.

All construction sites must be declared foot protection zones. Specific types of foot protection must be worn in different areas of work. For example, if persons are working in cement or wet conditions the appropriate footwear would be gumboots.

Eye and face protection such as goggles, face shields, welding helmets must be worn in the following situations: When using jack and kango hammers, angle and bench grinders, electric drills - overhead work into brick, cement or concrete, explosive powered tools, concrete vibrators and pokers, hammer and chisel work, brazing work, flame cutting and gas welding torches, arc welding, skill and bench saws, spray painting equipment just to name a few.

Hearing protection such as ear muffs or ear plugs must be used in the following situations. When using jack or kango hammers, angle grinders and explosive power tools. Noise generated from wood or aluminum working machines can also be harmful to ears, thus precautions must be taken when using saws, planers and routers to ensure workers avoid permanent induced hearing loss. Losing one’s hearing may make it difficult to get a job and work, so it is extremely important employees look after their hearing as best as they can.

Protective gloves must be worn by employees when handling or using cement, bricks, steel, chemicals, welding equipment, hammers and chisels, jack or kango hammers.

Suitable respirators must also be worn by employees when working with dry cement, hazardous chemicals, angle grinders, spray painters and when working in dry dusty areas.

Suitable safety belts or fall arrest equipment must be issued and must be correctly used by persons working in or on unguarded and elevated positions. Workers must use these safety belts when erecting scaffolding, rigging work, lift shafts work, edge work and ring beam edges work. Catch nets may be used as another method of fall prevention.

Protective clothing must be worn at all times when working in a hazardous environment.

Good news for employees is that All PPE is free! The Contractor must also ensure that the PPE is in good condition and must be checked regularly.

Workers must be instructed in the correct use of the PPE and records of PPE issued must be kept on file and workers must acknowledge receipt of the PPE. Workers must be informed that should they get injured whilst not wearing the prescribed PPE they could lose compensation.

It is the Contractors responsibility to not permit persons to work unless the worker wears the prescribed PPE.