Employers must make sure that their workers are provided with the appropriate personal safety clothing and equipment. The many kinds of hazardous materials pose various health risks. This, in turn, would require unique needs and requirements. Individuals who regularly handle corrosive substances, for instance, would need thick, heavy nitrile protective gloves to protect their hands. 

To make sure that employees are kept safe, those in management are required to conduct appraisals of the safety and protective measures in place in the facility. This is why employers should exhaust all possible means to reduce hazards, such as restructuring engineering and work practice controls. Individuals who work in an industrial setting are especially in danger of incurring injuries. In these situations, the risks often cannot be averted, even with engineering and work practice controls in place. Employers must then make sure that their workers are provided with the appropriate protection.

Each working environment exposes individuals to risks that require specific kinds of protective clothing. Conversely, the kind of personal safety equipment to be provided depends on the potential hazards and specific factors that workers may encounter in the workplace. The importance cannot be ignored; the proper clothing can save a life. In December of 2010, four workers lost their lives suffocating in the water tank of a rice factory in India. One of the employees had got stuck in the tank, and when the others attempted to help, all of them died. None of them was wearing any personal safety equipment, in spite of the nature of their work.

Personal safety equipment for spill response

In the event that an accidental spill occurs, individuals responding to the spill need to be provided with appropriate protection as well. In this setting, possible hazards usually include the inhalation and/or absorption of harmful substances through the skin; abrasions, chemical or thermal burns; cuts, electrical dangers, punctures, bruises, fractures and amputations. Spills from industrial facilities present serious dangers; not only from the spilled substances, but also during the clean-up process as well. There are safety boots that are designed to be waterproof or chemical resistant. Some personal safety equipment includes shoe protectors.