Safety Basics: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Mar 14th, 2025
Olivia Kortepeter
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a worker’s last line of defense after all other controllable hazards have been addressed. At Evergreen, in addition to our safety training and procedures, we carefully access each job and environment to select the appropriate PPE to address any potential risks.
Different roles have different PPE requirements. Our employees range from Field Personnel to Equipment Shop Workers, Lab Employees, Quality Control Team, and more. In the field, some crews are working with hot asphalt, and others with cold materials.
To address potential physical, environmental, chemical and biological hazards, the following PPE is part of our toolkit:
Head Protection
Hard hats with full brims protect the head, eyes and face from any falling objects or debris. The brim also protects eyes from glare, reducing eye strain and guards the wearer from collisions. The liner of the hard hat ensures a secure fit and can also prevent sweat from dripping into the eyes.
Eye and Face Protection
Safety glasses or goggles protect eyes from dust and materials kicked up from the ground. If needed, face shields can also be used to fully protect the eyes and face.
Respiratory Protection
Respirators protect against fumes, gases or vapors. Concrete crews use respirators when grinding concrete. Before being fitted with a respirator, our workers undergo a medical evaluation to ensure they are physically able.
Hand Protection
Heat-resistant gloves with gauntlets protect hands from chemical or burn hazards when working with certain materials. Fit is important so as to not impair dexterity.
Foot Protection
Steel-toe boots to protect feet from impacts, drops, and abrasive surfaces. Slip-resistant soles prevent avoidable slips and falls.
Composite boots made from non-metal material such as Kevlar or carbon fiber are worn when working with hot asphalt as steel toes can heat up.
Clothing
High-vis vests or jackets are essential for visibility on work sites with moving equipment or live traffic. On the road, we use Class III vests with sleeves and silver reflective bands for complete visibility day or night.
Long sleeves and pants without cuffs are an underrated but necessary safety measure when working with certain materials. Pants should cover the boot opening and sleeves should go over gloves to prevent exposed skin.
Arm guards are often used as supplemental protection.
Hearing Protection
Ear protection prevents noise induced hearing loss. We use a meter and check the decibel level of all our equipment and machinery. If the decibels reach OSHA’s threshold, we require ear protection when around the equipment.
On the vast majority of our jobs, workers wear safety boots, hard hats, class III vests, safety glasses and gloves if working with hot materials. Our safety team leads regularly check in with our crews and foremen to equip them with any PPE replacements.
At the end of the day, safety is an essential core value. We are accountable to everyone on our team and dedicated to the health and wellbeing of each crew member.
To learn more about Evergreen’s safety initiatives, check out these stories:
