PPE (in Spanish, EPI) is any equipment you wear or hold to protect yourself from a risk: helmet, gloves, goggles, safety footwear, hearing protection, harness… Ordinary work clothes and uniforms that do not protect against a risk are not PPE (Royal Decree 773/1997, Article 2).
Rules
- PPE is used when the risk cannot be avoided or sufficiently limited by collective protection or work organisation (Law 31/1995, Article 17.2).
- Your employer must give it to you free of charge, replace it when needed and explain what it protects you from (Royal Decree 773/1997, Article 3).
- It is used, stored, cleaned and repaired according to the manufacturer's instructions, and only for its intended purpose (Article 7).
- Your duty is to use it properly and report it if it is damaged (Law 31/1995, Article 29).
Machines and work equipment
Your employer must give you training and information, preferably in writing, on how to use each piece of equipment, the foreseeable dangerous uses and the protective measures (Royal Decree 1215/1997, Article 5). If equipment carries a specific risk, only the people assigned to it may use it (Law 31/1995, Article 17.1).
Source: Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 17 · Real Decreto 773/1997, personal protective equipment (in Spanish), Articles 2, 3 and 7 · Real Decreto 1215/1997, work equipment (in Spanish), Article 5