COMFORT OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

The degree of comfort of personal protective equipment (PPE) was investigated in an automobile encapsulating plant, Up to 96.2% of employees used one or a combination of PPE, Only 8% of the workers felt their respirators were comfortable, 30% tolerated their respirators, and 62% rated them as uncomfortable, The percentage of employees who rated their PPE (other than a respirator) as comfortable ranged from 32 to 52%, For comfort factor, coveralls/aprons rated 52%, safety glasses 51%, rubber gloves 42%, and hearing protectors 36%, PPE was tolerable (just acceptable) for about 30% of the employees, To increase the effectiveness and safety of PPE, the human-factor aspects of PPE design should be emphasized more and quality improvement should cover the wearability of PPE.