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Health & Safety

PPE Checklist

A personal protective equipment (PPE) checklist for one work area or task: what could harm the eyes, face, head, feet, hands, body, hearing and breathing, whether the right PPE is specified, provided, worn and in good condition, and a spot check of the people doing the work. Doubles as a written PPE hazard assessment.

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Assessment Details

Which area or task, and why it is being looked at now.

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Narrow is better. "Welding bays 1–4" gives a clearer answer than "the factory".

Someone who does the job knows which PPE gets taken off and why.

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Before PPE

PPE is what is left once the other controls have done what they can.

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Protective equipment protects only the wearer, only while it is worn, and only if it suits the hazard. Check first whether the hazard could be removed, reduced or enclosed.

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Eyes

Particles, splashes and light.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Face

When protecting the eyes alone is not enough.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Head

Falling objects, fixed obstructions and electrical contact.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Feet

Crushing, puncture, slipping, heat and electricity.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Hands and Arms

The most-used PPE, and the most often wrong for the job.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Body and Clothing

Splash, heat, cold, sharp edges and being seen.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Hearing

Damage that is painless, gradual and permanent.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Breathing

Dust, fume, vapour and too little oxygen.

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Yes is not a failure — it only means the checks below apply. No hides them.

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Spot Check at the Workface

What people are actually wearing, one person or task at a time.

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Pick a few people doing the work. Record the task and the role — never the name — what the task needs and what they have on. Ask how it fits and what makes it hard to wear.

People or tasks checked

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Photograph the equipment, not a recognisable person in breach.

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Supply, Training and Care

What keeps the right PPE on the right people after today.

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Findings, Actions and Certification

What has to change, who is doing it, and the signed record of the assessment.

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Corrective actions

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Make it agree with the checks above.

By signing, the assessor certifies that the work area named above was evaluated for hazards requiring personal protective equipment on the date shown.

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Sign above — Area manager

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A PPE checklist does two jobs that are usually muddled together: it works out what personal protective equipment a job needs, and it checks whether people have it and are wearing it. This one goes body part by body part — eyes, face, head, feet, hands, body, hearing and breathing — asking first what could cause harm and then whether the equipment matches it, and finishes with a spot check of the people actually doing the work. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.

A hazard is not a failure

Many personal protective equipment checklists mark a body part "at risk" whenever a hazard exists, so a grinding shop scores badly for grinding and a lab scores badly for having chemicals. That records the nature of the work, not the quality of its controls.

Here each body part opens with an exposure question that is never scored. Answer No and the section disappears. Answer Yes and you record what the exposure is, then check the things that are actually under the employer's control: is the right protection specified, is it available, is it worn, and is it in a state to work.

PPE is the last control, not the first

Protective equipment only protects the person wearing it, only while they wear it, and only if it fits and suits the hazard. That is why every hierarchy of control puts it last: remove the hazard, substitute something less harmful, engineer it out with guards, screens or extraction, change how the work is organised — and use PPE for what is left.

The "Before PPE" section asks those questions first. If extraction at the saw would take away the need for masks, that is a better finding than "masks worn: Yes".

The right PPE, not just some PPE

The checks that find the most problems are about suitability rather than presence:

  • Gloves — a general-purpose glove is often the wrong glove. Chemical gloves need checking against the data sheet for breakthrough time; some common glove materials are penetrated by some solvents within minutes.
  • Eyes — impact glasses do not stop a splash. Sealed goggles do.
  • Respirators — a tight-fitting mask needs a face-fit test for that model and size, and a clean-shaven seal. Stubble lets contaminated air around the edge.
  • Hearing — too much attenuation is a real problem. People take off defenders that stop them hearing warnings.
  • Footwear — antistatic and electrically insulating boots do opposite jobs. The wrong one can make an electrical hazard worse.
  • Hard hats — shells age, especially in sunlight. Check the date moulded inside the shell against the maker's replacement period.

Check people, not just the cupboard

A store full of PPE says nothing about what is being worn at the workface. The spot check records one entry per person or task: what the task needs, what they have on, and whether it fits. It records roles, never names.

When something is not being worn, ask why. The answers are usually fit, heat, fogging, or the right size not being available — and all of those are the employer's to fix. Treat "will not wear it" as a sign the PPE is unsuitable before treating it as a discipline issue.

Using this as your written hazard assessment

In the US, OSHA 1910.132(d) requires employers to assess the workplace for hazards that call for PPE and to certify that assessment in writing, identifying the workplace evaluated, the person certifying and the date. In the UK, the PPE at Work Regulations require PPE to be assessed as suitable before it is chosen, and since 2022 the duty covers a wider group of workers. The exposure answers, the controls and the signed certification at the end of this form cover those points for the area you assessed.

Common questions

What is a PPE checklist used for?

To work out what protective equipment a task or area needs, and to check that it is being provided, worn and kept in good condition. Used body part by body part, a personal protective equipment checklist also serves as the written hazard assessment many regulators expect.

How often should PPE be checked?

Wearers should check their own equipment before each use. Review the area's assessment whenever the work, equipment or substances change, after an incident, and on a regular cycle — once a year is common. Some items have their own intervals: respirator fit tests, harness inspections, insulating glove tests.

Who pays for PPE?

In most cases the employer. In the UK and many other countries the law requires PPE to be provided free to the worker. US rules also require employers to pay, with narrow exceptions such as ordinary safety-toe footwear that can be worn off the job.

What is the difference between a PPE checklist and a PPE hazard assessment?

A hazard assessment decides what protection is needed; a checklist confirms the decision is being carried out. This form does both: the exposure questions are the assessment, and the checks and the spot check are the confirmation.

What should I do if people will not wear the PPE provided?

Find out why before anything else. Discomfort, poor fit, heat, fogging lenses and not being able to hear are the usual reasons, and they point to a different product or a different size, not a warning letter. If the reason is that nobody explained the risk, that is a training action.

Does this cover fall protection harnesses?

It records whether harnesses are worn in the spot check, but inspecting harnesses, lanyards and anchor points properly is a separate job. Use the Working at Heights Inspection for that — it has one entry per harness and anchor and asks about fall clearance and rescue.