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PPE at Work Regulations updated

22 April 2022

From 6 April 2022 PPE regulations were amended and the Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 extend employers鈥� duties regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) to limb (b) workers.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 state that聽鈥渆very employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.鈥�

The 2022 update extends provisions from employees to workers聽

.聽The definition of 鈥榳orkers鈥� now includes both employees (Limb (a)聽workers) and those with a more casual employee relationship or who work under contract (Limb (b)聽workers).聽The changes do not apply to those who have self-employed status.

  • Limb (a) regards any individual directly employed by UCL permanently

  • Limb (b) encompasses those who are not employees but are contracted to provide a service or those on a more casual work contract

PPE should be provided free of charge

The new 2022 update also amends the 1992 regulations to extend the duty placed on UCL to not charge employees for PPE to include workers.

Enforcement

HSE inspectors will continue to include the assessment of PPE as part of their routine inspections.聽

Action to take

Where a risk assessment finds PPE to be necessary to provide protection from a hazard, UCL has a duty to provide it to workers free of charge.

UCL must provide PPE that Is:

  • Suitable PPE where health and safety cannot be controlled by other means聽
  • Compatible where two or more items of PPE are required to work together, they must be compatible with each other聽
  • Maintained, cleaned or replaced when needed
  • Correctly stored when not being used
  • Provided with information, instruction and training to those required to wear it聽聽 聽
  • Correctly stored and workers must be instructed and trained in its use

For PPE provided to them workers must:

  • Ensure the PPE is used in accordance with the training and instructions they are given
  • Take reasonable steps to ensure the PPE is returned to the storage/accommodation provided after use
  • Report the loss or defect of PPE

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