jobs that require PPE
Advice

10 Jobs That Require PPE

Personal protective equipment, commonly known as PPE, is essential for many occupations in order to keep workers safe while on the job. There are a variety of PPE types available, from hard hats to respirators to safety glasses, which help shield employees from workplace hazards. Many jobs that require PPE are not only recommended but also required by health and safety regulations. 

However, can you name a few jobs that require PPE in 2024? Most people will not be able to answer this question, even if it’s a very simple one. Therefore, read this post to find out about various jobs that require PPE.

Jobs That Require PPE

Here is a list of various jobs where PPE is compulsory:  

1. Construction Workers

Construction Workers

In the construction industry, PPE plays a vital role in protecting the well-being of workers and reducing accidents. Hard hats are necessary to safeguard workers from head injuries that could result from falling debris and other objects. High-visibility vests enable workers to be clearly seen, which is particularly important on busy sites with heavy machinery operating. 

Sturdy boots with steel toe caps shield feet from dropped tools or materials. Construction workers may also need dust masks, ear defenders, and strong waterproof gloves, depending on their specific trade and the site environment. The use of PPE is mandated on construction sites across the UK.

2. Welders

Welders handle extremely hot equipment and materials, making protective clothing a requirement of the job. As welding can send sparks flying, thick leather gloves, aprons, and jackets shield skin from burns. Special welding helmets with tinted visors guard the eyes and face from exposure to bright UV light that could cause arc eye and other painful eye conditions. 

Respirators filter out dangerous fumes released during welding. Without PPE, welders risk serious bodily harm, including eye damage, burns, and lung disease. Welding PPE must be worn by law in accordance with Health and Safety Executive guidance.

3. Firefighters

Battling blazes is hugely hazardous work, so firefighters depend on PPE to do their job safely. As well as fire-resistant jackets, trousers, and boots that shield against flames and heat, they wear breathing apparatus with oxygen tanks when tackling burning buildings where smoke inhalation poses a threat. 

Firefighter helmet design varies by brigade but typically features a hard outer shell, thick thermal lining for heat protection, and securing straps to keep it firmly in place when crawling or climbing. Visors, hoods, gloves, and emergency medical kits also form part of UK firefighter PPE essentials. Their PPE enables them to save lives.

4. Healthcare Professionals

Caring for those with infectious diseases, healthcare staff in the UK don appropriate PPE to limit their exposure to contagion. This means wearing sterile disposable gloves, plastic aprons, surgical face masks, eye protection goggles, and sometimes sealed gowns with long sleeves, too, if handling patients with viruses like COVID-19. 

Healthcare workers handling chemicals also require protective equipment like thick work gloves and covered shoes. Hospitals provide medical PPE for staff and require it to be properly put on and disposed of to maintain sterility and stop potential cross-infection.

5. Police Officers

While in hazardous, confrontational, or exposed situations, standard UK police PPE safeguards officers from injury or bodily fluids and contamination. Classic elements include stab-proof body armor vests, tactical gloves to maintain a firm grip on weapons like batons while withstanding bites and disposable forensic suits to eliminate contamination at crime scenes

Police helmets with visors defend against blows to the head and spit attacks during protests. Some units like forensics teams, riot police, or airport officers have enhanced specialist PPE, but basic equipment protects all frontline officers during arrests, searches, crowd control, and other standard duties.

6. Kitchen Staff

Kitchen Staff

Did you know that most kitchen staff working in restaurants and hotels need PPE while they prepare delicious meals for you?

Cooks in the kitchen need protection for their hands when they cook. Imagine this – you are a kitchen staff cooking up a storm. However, you end up accidentally cutting your finger and making a bloody mess everywhere. Sounds pretty painful, right?

What about burning your fingers on the stove? Or getting an electrical shock from the microwave? It’s for unfortunate accidents like these that even kitchen staff need to wear PPE like cooking gloves, an apron, and a toque hat.

7. Electricians

Regarding jobs that require PPE for the workers, electricians should come near the top. Playing with electricity is a dangerous game since putting your finger in the wrong holes can lead to nasty shocks and electrical burns. 

This is why every electrician needs two types of PPE – rubber shoes and rubber gloves. In addition, throw in a rubber helmet as well. 

Electricians use rubber-based PPE gear since rubber is not a conductor of electricity. Therefore, it helps any electrical current passing through your body get earthed immediately, preventing you from getting zapped and burned to a crisp.

8. Laboratory  Workers

Labs are some of the most dangerous places in the world. They have lots of hazardous machines, chemicals, and otherworldly radiations that can mutate your very being. Therefore, if you want to remain human, it’s best to suit yourself with PPE gear. 

Depending on what kind of lab you work in, your PPE gear will vary. For example, if you are experimenting with radioactive substances, use a hazmat suit to protect yourself from hazardous radiation.

9. Miners

Miners go through a lot of pain as they toil away underground. The mine caves are dark and foul places where a PPE kit is a necessity. Since these mines are uncharted territory, you can bump into anything in the dark.

Moreover, there can be harmful substances in the rocks, which you can come in contact with while mining. In addition, the temperatures inside mines can reach unbearable levels, which makes one of the jobs that require PPE kits.

10. Oil Rig Workers

Have you ever seen inspirational videos on social media where they show oil rig workers using the drill in cool ways? If you have seen those videos, then you must know that they wear PPE from head to toe. 

The crude oil that gets drilled from under the seabeds is mostly very hot in temperature. If they fall on your skin, many rig workers get nasty burns. This is why oil rig workers have their own set of PPE gear to help them stay safe and keep on drilling.

Conclusion

All these varied occupations significantly benefit from and legally mandate the proper use of suitable PPE for tasks with clear physical dangers. By shielding the body and head, this essential equipment enables workers to complete jobs safely where accidents could otherwise easily occur.

Read Also:

Debamalya Mukherjee
Debamalya is a professional content writer from Kolkata, India. Constantly improving himself in this industry for more than three years, he has amassed immense knowledge regarding his niches of writing tech and gaming articles. He loves spending time with his cats, along with playing every new PC action game as soon as possible.

    You may also like

    Leave a reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *