When risks cannot be removed in any other way, your employer provides you with personal protective equipment (PPE; in Czech, OOPP). This lesson explains what it is, who pays for it and how to use it correctly. We also cover safety signs.
What PPE is
PPE is equipment that you wear or hold to protect you from a hazard. For example:
- head: a safety helmet,
- hearing: ear defenders or earplugs,
- eyes and face: safety glasses and a face shield,
- airways: a respirator or mask,
- hands: protective gloves,
- feet: work shoes with a protective toe cap,
- body: protective clothing, a high-visibility vest, a harness for work at height.
Ordinary work clothes and footwear that do not protect against risks and do not get unusually worn or soiled at work are not PPE under Government Regulation No. 390/2021 Sb. (§ 2). On the other hand, where clothing or footwear gets unusually worn or soiled, or performs a protective function, you receive it as PPE (§ 104(2) of the Labour Code).
Rules under the Labour Code
Under § 104 of the Labour Code:
- The employer provides PPE if the risks cannot be removed or sufficiently reduced by other measures.
- The employer chooses PPE on the basis of the risk assessment, so that it is effective and suitable for your work.
- The employer provides it free of charge. It must not sell it to you or charge a fee.
- It must not replace it with money. A cash allowance instead of a helmet is not permitted.
- The employer makes sure it is in usable condition and checks that you use it.
Government Regulation No. 390/2021 Sb. sets out further details. The employer must also make sure that you are demonstrably familiar with how to use the equipment. It also determines how long and under what conditions each item is used. If PPE is worn out, has lost its effectiveness, or its use would create a new risk, the employer replaces it.
The same regulation also covers washing, cleaning and disinfecting products. If you work with substances that soil or irritate the skin, the employer provides them.
How to use PPE correctly
- Before use, check that it is not damaged. A cracked helmet or torn gloves do not protect.
- Put it on correctly. A respirator must fit tightly. Glasses must not be scratched so badly that they obstruct your view.
- Use it for as long as the risk lasts. Ear defenders are pointless if you take them off after ten minutes.
- Do not share it. Hygiene and size are individual.
- Store it clean and dry in the designated place.
- Report damaged items and ask for a replacement. Do not repair them yourself.
Refusing PPE that your employer has prescribed is a breach of duty under § 106.
Safety signs
Signs at the workplace are governed by Government Regulation No. 375/2017 Sb. They are distinguished by colour and shape:
- Prohibition: a circle with a red border and a diagonal bar. For example, no smoking.
- Warning: a yellow triangle. For example, danger of electric shock.
- Mandatory action: a blue circle with a white symbol. For example, "wear safety glasses".
- Rescue and evacuation signs: green. For example, an emergency exit and a first aid point.
- Fire protection signs: red, square or rectangular. For example, a fire extinguisher.
Do not cover signs or move them.
Summary
- PPE is the last line of protection. The employer provides it free of charge (§ 104).
- The employer must not replace it with money. You use it correctly and report damaged items.
- Sign colours: red for prohibition and firefighting, yellow for warning, blue for mandatory action, green for rescue.