PPE is made up of a variety of garments and apparatus that provide a level of equipment to protect us from injury in the workplace. There are a number of circumstances in which it’s a legal requirement to wear personal protective equipment including hand protection, eye protection, ear protection and head protection.

 

In the majority of situations the PPE and workwear you have to wear needs to be hard wearing and durable, providing protection against damage and the wearers own personal safety, however there are some situations in which work wear isn’t required to last for a long period of time, which might get damaged beyond use each time it’s used and where in other situations where workwear could be contaminated it will need to be disposed of after each use.

 

A wide range of equipment that can be disposable PPE, these include gloves, overalls, and hair coverings. There are some major advantages and disadvantages of choosing disposable PPE.

 

The advantages of disposable PPE products

 

There’s a number of construction tasks in which you might consider disposable workwear. In situations in where employees are working with grease or oil-based products or in environments which are hygienically sensitive for example disposable gloves and overalls might be the best option. By choosing a disposable option you save time of cleaning and protect against contamination.

 

This also means you can present a smart, clean professional image when dealing with different clients.

 

The disadvantages of disposable PPE products

 

Probably the major disadvantage of disposable workwear is the implications for the environment. Many contracts require construction sites to consider the environment and if you are working to various building regulations such as building regs Part L.


 

 In the short term, disposable PPE is cheaper, however in the long-term it will be more economical to buy heavy-duty, long lasting work wear if that’s applicable to the task at hand.

A risk assessment should always be carried out when ascertaining if you are able to use disposable PPE and disposable workwear

 

Take a look at our range of disposable PPE products online or alternatively, please contact one of our PPE experts on 01772 786000.