A Literature Review of Trends in Personal Protective Equipment

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used in varying degrees across any industry where the work poses a threat to human safety. It ranges from protective glasses worn by a machinist to full-on hazmat suits used to work in areas with high radiation and everywhere in between. The impact of PPE is undeniable as it allows industrial entities to protect their workers from serious harm as well as shielding them from liability. By adequately using the appropriate and properly fitted PPE for any given task the risk of injury can be drastically reduced. This can clearly be illustrated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics which found that the rate of non-fatal workplace injuries or illness decreased by 70% from 1972 to 2018 [1]. The increased attention to PPE has paid dividends in worker safety since its popularization in the 1970s, and even today industry leaders in professional safety groups are hard at work to develop PPE that is safer and more accessible than ever before.