Prepare for upcoming amendments to PPE regulations

Amendments to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) regulations will take effect as of April 6, 2022. 

What is PPE?

PPE is any form of equipment or clothing that protects users against health and safety risks while at work, such as harnesses, gloves, high-visibility clothing and eye protection.

The current regulations state that an employer has a duty to provide employees with PPE relevant to their role free of charge. However, subcontractors and gig economy workers don’t have the same rights and are required to obtain their own PPE. 

What’s new? 

The Personal Protective Equipment Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (PPER 2022) extend the duties set out by regulations 4 to 11 of the PPER 1992 from employees to a wider range of workers.

A worker is defined in the regulations as an individual who is under a contract of employment or any contract whereby the individual carries out any work or services for another party. This means that that if an organisation is appointing someone to work on their behalf, they must provide PPE free of charge if that PPE has been identified as being required for the role. They must also ensure that workers have the correct training and information related to the PPE.  

What do employers need to do? 

Although the final version of the legislation has not been published yet, if you employ subcontractors it is worth preparing for this change in advance and seeking further advice where necessary now.

Aegis provides a comprehensive health and safety management service to help organisations identify and mitigate risks in the workplace. Contact our team to find out more about the ways we can support you in becoming a safer business.