personal protective equipment

noun

variants or less commonly personal protection equipment

: protective devices, garments, or coverings (such as respirators, helmets, face shields, boots, or gloves) that are worn especially by workers to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause injury or illness

Additional funds of $1,000 from the federal grant are also available to help train firefighters up to the National Firefighter Protection Association standard. … Equipment to be purchased includes 74 complete sets of personal protective equipment which include boots, gloves, helmets, pants, coats, hoods and traffic safety vests.

—Will James et al.

Part of the grant will be used for training in the use of personal protective equipment, for use by officers in the event of a chemical- or oil-related incident.

—Rich Hewitt

While the global plastic waste problem has long been out of control, Covid-19 has intensified our use of single-use plastics, pushing the issue to new heights. The waste includes test kits and personal protection equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, the vast majority of which comes from hospitals, rather than individual use.

—Victoria Burrows

—abbreviation PPE

Examples of personal protective equipment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Four years after health workers were forced to reuse masks and other supplies to get through the dark days of the pandemic, the idea of recycling personal protective equipment is going mainstream. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 17 July 2024

Then, an assessment released by the EPA last year found that DCPA use and application posed health risks, even when personal protective equipment and engineering controls were being used. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024

Health risks persisted even when personal protective equipment was being used, the agency found. —Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024

In 2023, the EPA released an assessment of the pesticide, concluding it was linked to health risks, especially for pregnant women, even when people exposed to it were using personal protective equipment. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

personal protective equipment

noun

variants also personal protection equipment

: protective devices, garments, or coverings (such as respirators, face shields, or gloves) that are worn especially by workers to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause injury or illness

Personal protective equipment should be simple to remove after use without contaminating the user. … It should be disposable whenever possible and disposed of appropriately, immediately after removal.

—T. M. Cook, Anaesthesia

In the attempt to prevent the spread of a viral infection to and from healthcare workers, the health community generally relies on the efficacy of personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, and gowns.

—Ivo Boškoski et al., Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

—abbreviation PPE