Can I sign a disclaimer not to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
No. Employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) when health and safety risks cannot be adequately controlled in other ways. Since PPE is a 'last resort', it is important that you wear it all the time you are exposed to the risk. No exemptions should be allowed for those jobs which take 'just a few minutes'.
The PPE needs to be:
- Suitable
- Maintained and stored properly
- Provided with instructions on how to use it safely and used correctly by employees
Employees should receive information, instruction and training on why PPE is needed, when to use it, how to use it, as well as instructions for repair/ replacement and the limitations of it. Employers need to make sure employees are using it properly.
UK HSE - contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.