What is a critical step before distributing PPE to workers in a new manufacturing plant?
Assess workplace hazards and select appropriate PPE
Personal protective equipment is the last line of defence in the hierarchy of controls, and it is effective only when it is matched to the actual hazards present in a workplace.
So before any PPE is handed out in a new plant, the critical step is to assess the workplace hazards and then select the appropriate PPE for each identified risk.
This risk assessment identifies whether workers face electrical, chemical, mechanical, noise, dust or eye hazards, which in turn decides the type and grade of gloves, goggles, helmets or footwear required.
Purchasing sufficient quantities matters, but buying before the hazards are known risks ordering the wrong protection, so it logically comes after the assessment.
Scheduling inspections and maintenance keeps PPE serviceable over time, yet it applies only once the correct equipment has already been chosen and issued.
Providing orientation on rules and procedures is important training, but it does not by itself determine which PPE each worker actually needs.
Hence, the answer is Assess workplace hazards and select appropriate PPE.
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