Written by: Reginald Fields
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the most essential defenses healthcare workers rely on every day. Whether a healthcare worker works in a clinic, hospital, long-term care facility, laboratory, or emergency response setting, PPE helps reduce exposure to infectious diseases, hazardous chemicals, and other workplace risks. Understanding what PPE is in healthcare, how it works, and how to use it properly is crucial for maintaining a safe work environment and ensuring high-quality patient care.
What Is PPE in Healthcare?
PPE in healthcare refers to specialized protective gear designed to reduce the risk of exposure to infectious materials, bloodborne pathogens, respiratory hazards, and chemical contaminants. Common examples include gloves, masks, gowns, eye protection, and face shields.
Healthcare workers typically use PPE when engineering and administrative controls alone can’t fully eliminate exposure risks. When used correctly, PPE acts as a barrier that protects both staff and patients, helping to prevent cross-contamination and reducing the likelihood of workplace injuries or disease transmission.
Why Is PPE Important in Healthcare?
PPE is important in healthcare because providers routinely encounter hazards ranging from infectious agents to chemical disinfectants. With today’s diverse and fast-paced work environments, you may face risks that change hour-to-hour depending on your patient load and the tasks you perform.
Proper PPE reduces the risk of contracting illnesses, protects against exposure to harmful substances, and helps ensure you’re able to continue delivering safe care. PPE is also a critical component of OSHA compliance, infection prevention programs, and facility safety standards.
Common Types of PPE in Healthcare
Healthcare settings rely on a wide range of PPE based on job tasks, potential exposures, and regulatory requirements. Below are the main types of PPE in healthcare, how they work, and when you might use them.
Gloves
Gloves are the most common type of PPE used in healthcare settings, and the primary gear designed to protect your hands. They serve as a barrier between your skin and potentially infectious materials such as blood, bodily fluids, contaminated surfaces, and chemicals.
Employees can use disposable nitrile, latex, or vinyl gloves depending on their facility’s policies and the tasks they perform. For example, nitrile gloves are commonly used in clinical settings due to their strong chemical resistance and lower risk of allergic reactions. Gloves help protect you during tasks like patient examinations, specimen handling, IV insertion, wound care, or cleaning contaminated equipment.
Masks
Masks protect healthcare professionals from inhaling infectious droplets and help reduce the spread of airborne or droplet-transmitted diseases. In healthcare, they can encounter several types of masks, including surgical masks and N95 respirators.
Surgical masks provide a physical barrier that helps block splashes and large droplets, making them common for general patient care. In contrast, N95 respirators filter out at least 95% of airborne particles and are used in higher-risk scenarios, such as caring for patients with tuberculosis or during aerosol-generating procedures. Proper fit, seal checks, and consistent training are essential when using respirators.
Gowns
Gowns are designed to protect your skin and clothing from contamination. They are used when you may come into contact with infectious droplets, bodily fluids, or hazardous chemicals.
Isolation gowns are commonly worn in hospitals when caring for patients under contact or droplet precautions. Fluid-resistant or fluid-impermeable gowns provide higher protection levels during procedures with a risk of splashing. Disposable gowns are the most common in high-traffic care settings, while reusable gowns may be used in specialized departments where laundering systems are in place.
Face Shields
Face shields provide full-face coverage: protecting your eyes, nose, and mouth from splashes, sprays, and potentially infectious materials. They are often used in combination with masks to provide higher protection during procedures such as suctioning, intubation, or when working with aggressive or confused patients who may cough or spit.
Face shields are especially valuable because they prevent contamination of facial PPE, reducing the risk of accidental contact during donning and doffing.
Eye Protection
Eye protection includes safety goggles, glasses with side shields, or full-coverage eye guards. These devices protect your eyes from airborne particles, chemical splashes, and infectious droplets.
You may use eye protection in laboratories, emergency departments, and patient rooms where exposure risks are higher. Proper fit and anti-fog features help maintain visibility during prolonged procedures or emergencies.
Shoe and Head Covers
Shoe and head covers are often used in surgical suites, isolation units, and environments where sterility is essential. Shoe covers help prevent contaminants from spreading between patient rooms, while head covers reduce the risk of shedding hair or skin cells in sterile fields.
A healthcare worker would wear these when entering operating rooms, labor and delivery units, or any area requiring strict infection control measures. They help maintain sterile environments and prevent cross-contamination between departments.
PPE in Healthcare FAQs
Healthcare workers often have questions about PPE requirements, responsibilities, and best practices. Below are some of the most common FAQs to help you better understand your role in PPE safety.
Who is responsible for providing PPE?
Your employer is responsible for providing PPE at no cost to you. OSHA requires healthcare organizations to supply appropriate PPE based on identified hazards and ensure that equipment meets regulatory standards.
Who is responsible for making sure PPE fits each worker properly?
Your employer is also responsible for ensuring PPE fits properly—especially equipment like respirators, which require fit testing. Proper fit is essential to achieving the intended level of protection.
How do you don and doff PPE correctly?
Donning and doffing PPE must be performed in the correct sequence to prevent accidental exposure to contaminants.
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- Donning typically includes:
Hand hygiene → gown → mask or respirator → goggles or face shield → gloves. - Doffing usually includes:
Gloves → gown → hand hygiene → eye protection → mask → hand hygiene again.
- Donning typically includes:
You should always follow your facility’s protocols, posted sequence charts, and training guidelines to ensure proper technique.
Who is responsible for training workers on the use of PPE?
Employers are responsible for providing PPE training, including when to use PPE, how to select it, how to don and doff, and how to maintain and dispose of it. If your facility needs assistance, SMG provides comprehensive PPE training and safety program development to help ensure you stay compliant and protected.
Why is PPE important in infection control?
PPE helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases by reducing contact with contaminated materials. It protects both workers and patients, two critical goals of any infection control program.
What happens if PPE fails or becomes damaged?
You should immediately stop work, safely remove the damaged PPE, wash your hands, and replace the equipment. Report the incident so your employer can assess whether additional controls or training are needed.
Need Help Improving Your PPE Program?
A strong PPE program ensures healthcare workers stay safe, compliant, and confident when caring for patients. If your facility needs support with PPE selection, training, fit testing, hazard assessments, or safety program development, SMG is here to help. We offer comprehensive safety management solutions designed to strengthen compliance, reduce risk, and improve workplace safety.
Enhance your PPE program or build a complete safety system; you can rely on SMG to guide you every step of the way.