Personal protective equipment (PPE) is any piece of equipment that is intended to be worn by an employee to protect against risks that may threaten safety or health at work. Protecting housekeeping staff from cleaning chemicals and germs will keep them efficient and safe. The PPE helps the worker to get the job done faster and pay better attention to what they’re doing.
The personal protective equipment protects all parts of the body from head to toe, depending on the professional environment, such as head and face protection, respiratory protection, safety clothing and gloves to foot protection. Every organization, regardless of production volume, must comply with established hygiene and sanitary standards.
Respirators
The most common pieces of personal protective equipment used to handle the disaster are respirators. These are masks, filtering face pieces, self-contained breathing apparatus. Many companies require their employees to use them for protecting their facial area as well as their air supply when working with dangerous chemicals or in the case of other potential airborne diseases.
The respirator also needs to be custom-fitted to ensure a proper and secure fit. The last thing an employee wants is a respirator that leaks. It is also required for the employee to be medically fit to wear a specific type of respirator. Employees are assessed to be able to wear the respirator without exacerbating an existing medical condition.
Gloves
Hand gloves use required in cleaning and disinfection activities, for the handling chemicals, sharp objects, maintenance of equipment and handling of loads. Since even minor injuries can pose a risk, the gloves should be impervious to liquids. The strength of the gloves must be adapted to the intended work. There are various types of gloves in the market, such as rubber, latex, cloth, nitrile and butyl. When using gloves while working with chemicals, inspect them for signs of wear such as cuts, holes, dry or brittle rubber. It is best to dispose of the gloves after one use.
Foot protection
The housekeeping staff must have foot protection to to prevent injuries from:
*Electrical danger
*Corrosive or toxic substances
*Falling bodies
*Crushing or penetrating measures
Foot protection is also required for employees who are required to work in dump surface.
Clothing
Work clothing protects the housekeeping staff against dirt, mechanical, and heat. Besides, professionally work wear brands the image of the company and strengths the team spirit among the employees. Work wear must above all protect the wearer. Therefore, it has to meet different requirements depending on the work.
Headgear
The headgear must cover the hair as much as possible to avoid hair, dandruff or sweat getting on the food. The fabric should be woven so tightly that no hair can penetrate, so hairnets are not recommended in these areas. If disposable materials are not used, they must be washable and disinfectable.
Eye protection
They consist of goggles, visors and screens which protect the eyes from the risk of projections of splinters, splashes, exposure to radiation and light sources (welding, work in mechanical workshops), handling of chemical agents, risk of contact with biological agents, etc.
