Workshop PPE Checklist: What to Wear for Common Shop-Floor Tasks
A general awareness checklist, not a substitute for your workplace's formal safety assessment. Statutory requirements for factories in India sit under the Factories Act, 1948 and the corresponding state rules — confirm what applies to your unit with your safety officer or the relevant labour department.
Start with the matrix: what the task is, and what it demands.
PPE by task
| Task | Eyes / face | Hands | Breathing | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General bench work, assembly | Safety glasses | General work gloves | — | Safety shoes |
| Drilling | Safety glasses | None near the chuck | — | Safety shoes; tie back long hair |
| Angle grinding, cutting | Goggles, or a face shield over glasses | General work gloves | Dust mask | Hearing protection; flame-resistant clothing |
| Arc welding | Welding helmet with the correct filter | Welding gauntlets | Fume respirator | FR apron or coveralls; safety shoes |
| Gas cutting | Gas-welding goggles or shield | Welding gauntlets | Fume respirator | FR clothing; fire watch |
| Handling sheet metal | Safety glasses | Cut-resistant gloves | — | Safety shoes |
| Sustained hammering, compressor work | Safety glasses | General work gloves | — | Hearing protection |
The two rules people get wrong most often
Gloves near rotating machinery. Never wear gloves at a drill press, lathe or any exposed rotating spindle. A glove caught in a chuck pulls the hand in with it — the glove is the hazard, not the protection.
Welding needs a helmet, not dark glasses. An arc emits UV and infrared that safety glasses and general goggles do not stop, and the damage is often not felt at the time. The correct filter shade depends on the process and the current — check the machine documentation and your safety officer, and never look at an arc unshielded, even briefly.
Eye and face protection
| Protection | Use for | Not enough for |
|---|---|---|
| Safety glasses | General workshop, drilling, light bench work | Grinding (no side/fine-debris protection), any welding |
| Goggles | Grinding, anything throwing fine debris or dust | Arc welding |
| Face shield (over glasses) | Extended grinding, cutting, splash risk | Used alone — it is a secondary protector |
| Welding helmet with filter | Arc welding | — |
A face shield goes over primary eye protection, not instead of it.
Hearing protection
Hearing damage from noise is cumulative and permanent, and it builds without any pain to warn you. Most sustained grinding, hammering and compressor work is loud enough to matter, so treat hearing protection as standard for those tasks rather than reserving it for equipment that sounds unusually loud.
A practical field test: if you have to raise your voice to be understood at arm's length, the area warrants protection. Earplugs and earmuffs both work — the one that gets worn consistently is the one that protects.
Respiratory protection
| Exposure | Protection | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding, sanding, cutting dust | Dust mask | Replace when breathing resistance rises or it gets damp |
| Welding fume | Fume respirator | A dust mask is not designed for metal fume |
| Confined or poorly ventilated space | Respirator plus extraction | Fume concentration builds fast; ventilation is the primary control |
PPE is the last line of defence, not the first. Where extraction or ventilation can remove the hazard at source, that comes first.
Feet, body and the work area
| Item | When |
|---|---|
| Safety shoes with toe protection | Anywhere stock, tools or equipment can be dropped — effectively the whole shop floor |
| Flame-resistant apron or coveralls | Welding, gas cutting, and grinding that throws sustained sparks |
| Fire extinguisher within reach | Any hot-work station. Check the rating suits the materials present |
| Clear, dry floor | Always — most workshop injuries involve slips and trips, not the machine |
Habits that matter as much as the equipment
PPE that does not fit is not protective. A loose glove near a rotating tool, or a helmet that does not seal, defeats its own purpose. Replace scratched glasses and goggles — a scratched lens scatters light and costs you visibility exactly when you need it. And check gear before use rather than after an incident: a cracked shield, a perished glove or a flat respirator seal is easy to spot and cheap to replace.
See welding safety gear and the wider welding range on Tools Tribe.
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