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Training 06 of 30

Personal protective equipment

10 minutes · Guide pages 14–15 · Free to read

  1. 1. Understand the risk
  2. 2. Notice warning signs
  3. 3. Choose a safer next step
  4. 4. Practice the decision
  5. Slide deck
  6. Sources
  7. Bonus resources

Hospitality Safety Training · 06 of 30

Personal protective equipment

10 minutes

Clean goggles, different task-specific gloves, an apron and an assessment checklist arranged on a training table.
Slide 1 of 9

Section 1 of 4Understand the risk

Clean goggles, different task-specific gloves, an apron and an assessment checklist arranged on a training table.

The gloves are familiar, but the cleaner is new. Are you actually protected? Splashes, hot equipment, sharp materials, and maintenance need different protection.

39,780 casesEye injuries/illnesses involving days away from work

BLS estimated 39,780 eye injury or illness cases involving days away from work among U.S. private-industry workers in 2023–2024 combined. This is a two-year total, not an annual or hotel-only count.

Section 2 of 4Notice warning signs

Scratched goggles and a torn disposable glove on an inspection tray, with intact replacements on a separate tray.

Food gloves may not resist cleaners; cut-resistant gloves may not protect against heat. Tears, poor fit, scratched lenses and incompatible PPE leave gaps. Dirty gloves transfer chemicals or germs to phones and faces.

Federal requirement: Employers assess hazards, select fitting PPE, reject defects and train workers to demonstrate correct use. Gloves must match task, conditions, exposure duration and hazards. Similar looks do not prove equal protection: material, design and rating matter.

Section 3 of 4Choose a safer next step

A steward checks the fit of clean protective goggles before starting work.

Check the task assessment and product instructions; recheck changed tasks or products. Verify fit, condition and compatibility. Stop for missing, damaged, unsuitable or uncomfortable PPE; obtain replacements.

Use trained removal and cleaning methods; protect skin and clean items, then perform hand hygiene. Required respirators need hazard-based selection, medical evaluation, a program and applicable fit testing. Disposable masks do not make fumes safe.

Safety boundary: This discussion authorizes no respirator selection, chemical response, electrical PPE use or untrained tasks.

Section 4 of 4Practice the decision

Stewards and a colleague compare task cards with suitable clean protective equipment.

Scenario: A steward has new descaler, food-handling gloves, and scratched goggles. The machine is needed soon. A colleague suggests finishing quickly.

Practice activity (4 min)

  1. Think 30 secIdentify the risk.
  2. Discuss 90 secAgree a safer plan.
  3. Compare 1 minCheck your plan below.
  4. Commit 1 minChoose your next-shift action.

Learner check

Based on the scenario above, what is the safest plan? Tap to reveal the answer.

Pause. Verify product information and the assessment; obtain assigned gloves and eye protection, and confirm fit and training. Working quickly does not make unsuitable PPE protective.

Sources

Bonus resources

Free outside material to go deeper. These open on the publisher's site.

Get the free PDF

The full Hospitality Safety Training Guide (Rev 1.5, 64 pages) is free with a two-minute free setup. Every lesson on this site stays free to read and present, with no sign-up.

Get the free PDF