Barriers to Proper PPE Use

Personal reasons; Human behavior must be a difficult barrier to overcome.

• Inconvenience – ”Too much hassle!”
• Does not think it is important – ”training and compliance are two different things.”
• Trust – “That stuff isn’t going to protect me.”
• Comparative – “Billy Bob doesn’t have to wear it, why should I have to?”
• Past Practice – “We never had to do it before, why do we have to do it now?”

Wrong equipment: Not providing the right equipment for the hazard.

Wrong size: Does not fit the employee expected to wear it.

Wrong style: Employee does not like the way that it performs.

Lack of training: Employees do not know what to wear, when to wear it, or how to wear it properly.

Management has shown that it is not an important issue. Written Compliance Programs are not in place or updated to reflect changes in information, technology, or new material or equipment.

• Employee Training is not current.
• Lack of enforcement! No corrective action taken; i.e. – On-the-spot corrections (verbal), no written warnings, layoffs, or terminations as the result of non-compliance with safety.