PPE for Construction Workers: Why PPE Is the Last Control

PPE stands for personal protective equipment, which means equipment worn or held to protect a person against risks to their health or safety that other controls have not removed. On a building site that includes hard hats, safety footwear, gloves, eye protection, hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment. This article is independent study material and is not affiliated with CSCS or CITB.

Key takeaways

PPE is equipment that protects the person wearing it from a risk to health or safety.
It is the last line of defence in the hierarchy of control, used when other measures cannot remove the risk.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 require suitable PPE to be provided to employees where the risk is not adequately controlled in other ways.
PPE must be suitable for the risk and the wearer, properly maintained and stored, and used correctly.
Workers must use PPE as trained and report loss or defects to their employer.
Employers must not charge their employees for PPE they are required to provide (section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974), though the arrangements for self-employed workers differ.

What PPE means

HSE's PPE page describes PPE as equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work. It can include items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses, as well as respiratory protective equipment. The legal framework is the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.

The key idea is in the word "personal". Unlike a guardrail or an extraction system, which protects everyone nearby, PPE protects only the person who is wearing it. That has big consequences for how it is used.

Common PPE on construction sites

Type	Typical purpose
Safety helmet (hard hat)	Protects the head from falling objects and bumps
Safety footwear	Protects feet from impact, crushing and sharp objects underfoot
Gloves	Protect hands from cuts, abrasion, chemicals or heat, depending on the type
Eye protection	Protects eyes from dust, flying fragments, splashes and similar hazards
Hearing protection	Reduces noise reaching the ear
Respiratory protective equipment	Reduces the amount of harmful dust, fume or vapour breathed in
High-visibility clothing	Makes the wearer easier to see around vehicles and plant
Harness and lanyard	Used with a suitable anchor as part of fall protection, where the risk assessment calls for it

Different jobs need different PPE. A glove that suits one task can be unsuitable for another, and the right type of respiratory protection depends on what is in the air. The risk assessment and the instructions from your employer decide what you need for each task. Many sites also set minimum PPE rules for everyone entering, so check the site induction.

Why PPE comes last

In the hierarchy of control, the order of preference runs from removing the hazard, through substitution and engineering controls, to administrative controls, and then PPE. There are good reasons for that order:

PPE does not remove the hazard. It leaves the hazard in place and relies on the barrier between you and the harm.
It depends on people. It has to be chosen well, fitted properly, worn all the time and looked after.
It can fail quietly. A damaged glove or a poorly fitting mask may look fine but give little protection.
It protects one person at a time, whereas collective controls protect everyone in the area.

The law treats PPE as a last resort: regulation 4(1) of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 and regulation 7(3) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 both look to other controls first. That does not make it unimportant. Many risks cannot be fully removed, and for those PPE is essential. The article on the hierarchy of control shows how the full order works.

What the 1992 Regulations require, in plain English

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 are about what employers must provide and how it must be managed. In plain English, the main ideas are:

PPE should be provided where risks have not been adequately controlled by other means.
The PPE must be suitable for the risk, the task and the person, which includes fitting properly.
If more than one item has to be worn at the same time, the items must work together effectively.
Employers should assess whether the PPE is suitable before choosing it.
PPE should be maintained, cleaned, repaired or replaced, and stored properly when not in use.
Users must be given information, instruction and training so that they know the risks, why the PPE is needed and how to use it.
Employees must use the PPE as they have been trained and report any loss or obvious defect.

Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 says that no employer may charge an employee for anything provided because of a specific legal requirement, which includes PPE the employer must supply. The position for self-employed workers and agency workers can be different, so ask your employer or contractor who provides what, and check the HSE page.

Your responsibilities as a worker

Wear the PPE required for the task and the site, every time.
Check it before use and do not use it if it is damaged.
Do not alter or misuse PPE.
Store it as instructed and keep it clean.
Report loss, damage or defects straight away so that it can be replaced.
Say so if PPE does not fit or is uncomfortable, since a poor fit can mean poor protection.

Checklist: PPE before you start work

[ ] Do I know which PPE the task requires?
[ ] Is it the right type, in good condition and the right size for me?
[ ] Can I wear all the items together without one getting in the way of another?
[ ] Have I been shown how to use it, and do I know its limits?
[ ] Do I know where to get a replacement if it is lost or damaged?

You can practise questions on this topic at PPE on site and on the free practice questions page. A practice score is not an official result, and the real test is set by CITB.

Worked example: cutting paving slabs on a small site

This is an invented scenario to show how PPE fits into a wider set of controls. The specific controls named are general practice, and the risk assessment and your employer's instructions decide what applies on a real job.

A small team is told to cut concrete paving slabs at the edge of a footpath. Cutting creates dust, noise and flying fragments, and the area is close to other workers.

Start with the hierarchy of control, not with the PPE:

Can the cutting be avoided? Perhaps slabs can be ordered to size, so there is less to cut on site (general practice).
Can the process be changed? A method that suppresses or captures dust at the source is better than one that lets dust into the air (general practice).
Can people be kept apart from it? Doing the cutting in a marked area away from others protects those who are not part of the task (general practice).
What is left? Whatever risk remains after those steps is where PPE comes in.

For the remaining risk, the likely PPE is eye protection, hearing protection, respiratory protective equipment and gloves, along with the site's basic items such as helmet, safety footwear and high-visibility clothing. The type matters. A basic dust mask is not the same as the respiratory protection chosen for a specific dust, and HSE's pages on silica dust are a place to read about why dust control needs care.

Notice the order of thinking. PPE did not replace the other controls. It covered what they could not remove. Notice also that several items must be worn together, so the worker checks that eye protection, hearing protection and a mask do not interfere with each other, which matches the idea in the 1992 Regulations that items worn together must work effectively.

Common questions on site

These are questions people ask at the gate or in the cabin. The answers follow the sources above, and your employer's rules take priority where they are stricter.

"The site gave me a helmet but not gloves. Is that allowed?" What is required depends on the task and the risk assessment. Ask your supervisor which PPE the task needs and who provides it. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 section 9 point on charging applies to PPE the employer must provide.

"My respirator feels loose. Can I carry on?" No. A poor fit can mean poor protection. Stop, say so and ask for a suitable replacement or a fitting check from the person responsible (general practice).

"Can I swap gloves with a colleague?" Think about fit and suitability first. Gloves suited to one task can be wrong for another, and PPE chosen for one person may not fit another (general practice).

"The PPE is damaged but the job is nearly finished." Do not use it. Report the damage so it can be replaced, as the regulations expect employees to report defects.

"Does wearing PPE mean I can skip the other controls?" No. PPE is the last control, so it supports the other measures and does not replace them. Our guide to PPE on site gives more everyday examples, and the hierarchy of control article shows the whole order.

FAQ

What does PPE stand for?

PPE stands for personal protective equipment. It is equipment worn or held to protect a person from risks to their health or safety at work, such as a hard hat, gloves or hearing protection.

Why is PPE the last resort and not the first choice?

PPE protects only the wearer and leaves the hazard in place, so it relies on being worn and maintained correctly every time. Controls that remove or isolate the hazard protect everyone and are more reliable, so they come first in the hierarchy of control.

Do I have to pay for my own PPE?

Under section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must not charge employees for PPE they are required to provide. If you are self-employed or working through an agency, the arrangements can differ, so ask the person who hired you and check the HSE page.

Is ordinary work clothing PPE?

Generally no. Ordinary clothing and uniforms that are not specifically designed to protect against a risk are not treated as PPE. Items made to protect against a hazard, such as safety footwear or high-visibility clothing, are PPE.

Sources

Independent guide, not affiliated with, authorised by, approved by or endorsed by CSCS or CITB. Last updated 2026-10-08.