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

To do so, crews don the proper personal protective equipment and are equipped with a shop vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter. —Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 16 Feb. 2026

In an interview with SJ Denim last year, ZDHC said its position is that potassium permanganate must never be used without appropriate engineering controls and workers must always use appropriate personal protective equipment. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Feb. 2026

The meatpacking giant also charges workers when someone takes or damages their personal protective equipment and insists on a three-year agreement, the union said. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026

In addition, training on hose deployment, pump operations, and personal protective equipment should be conducted regularly and discussed on a regular basis, the report found. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for personal protective equipment

• shipment
• transhipment
• transshipment

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