personal protective equipment

noun

variants or less commonly personal protection equipment

: protective devices, garments, or coverings (such as respirators, helmets, face shields, boots, or gloves) that are worn especially by workers to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause injury or illness

Additional funds of $1,000 from the federal grant are also available to help train firefighters up to the National Firefighter Protection Association standard. … Equipment to be purchased includes 74 complete sets of personal protective equipment which include boots, gloves, helmets, pants, coats, hoods and traffic safety vests.

—Will James et al.

Part of the grant will be used for training in the use of personal protective equipment, for use by officers in the event of a chemical- or oil-related incident.

—Rich Hewitt

While the global plastic waste problem has long been out of control, Covid-19 has intensified our use of single-use plastics, pushing the issue to new heights. The waste includes test kits and personal protection equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, the vast majority of which comes from hospitals, rather than individual use.

—Victoria Burrows

—abbreviation PPE

Examples of personal protective equipment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Neither individual was wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 May 2024

The patient had direct exposure to an infected cow and wasn’t wearing any personal protective equipment. —Carmel Wroth, NPR, 30 May 2024

Public-health officials also said during the press briefing that while the risk to the general public remains low, farmworkers have been told to take additional safety precautions, such as wearing personal protective equipment around sick or potentially infected animals. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 23 May 2024

Sam and Jan recently donated $500,000.00 to our department, this money will be used to put each of our volunteers in personal protective equipment head to toe. —Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 18 May 2024

Rates for personal protective equipment such as face masks, certain respirators and surgical gloves will also increase by 25%. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024

The federal government keeps the influenza antiviral Tamiflu as well as personal protective equipment (PPE) in its Strategic National Stockpile. —Michael Mina, TIME, 9 May 2024

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked state health departments to work on distributing personal protective equipment to dairy and poultry farms, as well as slaughterhouses. —Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 8 May 2024

In addition to shelter in a private room, participants often received two or three meals per day, COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) Many also had access to services like case management and behavioral and physical health treatment. —Nicole Nixon, Sacramento Bee, 7 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

personal protective equipment

noun

variants also personal protection equipment

: protective devices, garments, or coverings (such as respirators, face shields, or gloves) that are worn especially by workers to minimize exposure to hazards that may cause injury or illness

Personal protective equipment should be simple to remove after use without contaminating the user. … It should be disposable whenever possible and disposed of appropriately, immediately after removal.

—T. M. Cook, Anaesthesia

In the attempt to prevent the spread of a viral infection to and from healthcare workers, the health community generally relies on the efficacy of personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, and gowns.

—Ivo Boškoski et al., Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

—abbreviation PPE