Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to specialized clothing or equipment worn by a worker for protection against becoming contaminated or contaminating others.

Importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Blood, saliva or other bodily fluids may carry infectious materials such as:

• hepatitis C

• HIV

• other blood borne or bodily fluid pathogens
  

These could be spread by food service workers by:

• open cuts

• improper sanitation, such as tasting a food and returning the spoon to the food
  

Wearing Personal Protective Equipment prevents contact with potentially infectious materials by creating a physical barrier between the infectious material and the worker. In food service, it is imperative that food is kept safe and these pathogens are not passed on to others.