Introduction to Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is equipment or clothing worn by workers to help protect them from workplace hazards.1 It is the least effective of the infection prevention and exposure control measures.2
As an infection prevention and exposure control measure, PPE has both benefits and limitations:
| BENEFITS |
LIMITATIONS |
- protects wearer from infection (when utilized properly)
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- can expose users to infectious agents (when used incorrectly)2
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- can contaminate the environment1 if not disposed of correctly
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- not effective as a stand-alone preventative measure2
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- over-reliance may result in false sense of security2
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