Wear eye protection such as safety spectacles, goggles or face shields to protect your eyes from flying particles, chemical vapors, liquid chemicals and dust, according to your PPE training guidelines. Use laser safety goggles if working around equipment that uses a laser, and obtain welding shields made of vulcanized fiber and fitted with a filtered lens to protect your eyes and face from flying sparks and intense radiant light during welding operations.
Select a hard hat or helmet if you are in a situation in which objects might fall from above and strike you in the head or in which you easily can hit your head against a fixed object. Determine if you need a hard hat that specifically protects against electrical hazards as well. Check to ensure the protective helmet is water-resistant and slow burning and has a hard outer shell with a shock-absorbing lining. Use adjustable headbands to ensure the helmet fits properly, based on your PPE training standards, and keep the helmet out of damaging direct sunlight.
Choose the best foot and leg protection equipment based on the type of work you are performing. Select safety shoes to protect your feet from hot surfaces common in roofing, and choose leggings to protect your feet and lower legs from welding sparks. Consider using toe guards suggested by OSHA to protect your toes from compression hazards and impact, or use electrical hazard, safety-toe shoes to decrease your risk of becoming a path for hazardous electrical energy.
Follow PPE training guidelines for picking out gloves for your work project. For example, select butyl gloves for protecting against rocket fuels, leather gloves to guard your hands from sparks or fabric gloves to protect against dirt.
Wear single-use earplugs, reusable molded earplugs or earmuffs if the noise level of your work area reaches 90 decibels over an eight-hour period. Be prepared to use hearing protection if the noise level reaches 115 decibels for more than 15 minutes, according to your OSHA PPE training criteria.