Worker Protection and Personal Protective Equipment
What to know
Protection is a hierarchy: engineering controls (enclosure, negative pressure, local exhaust) first, then work practices, then PPE as the last layer. For asbestos work, disposable full-body coveralls (Tyvek-type) with hood and foot covers, gloves, and boots are standard; coveralls should be worn with the hood up and cuffs taped, and removed in the decontamination sequence to avoid re-entering clean areas contaminated.
Eye protection guards against splash and debris, and hard hats, hearing protection, and cut-resistant gloves apply per task. Critically, street clothes must not leave the regulated area; workers change into and out of protective clothing in the decon unit, and contaminated clothing is bagged as waste or laundered only under controlled conditions. HEPA-filtered vacuums, wet methods, and misting suppress fiber release before it reaches the worker.
Traps
Questions test whether you know PPE is the last line, not the first. Another trap: assuming a dust mask or surgical mask is respiratory protection (it is not), or that coveralls can be reused across shifts without cleaning. Also watch for confusion about gloves under coveralls versus over, and about taping cuffs (a common practice, but not a substitute for a proper seal and decon).
Rule of thumb
Dress outside-in and undress inside-out: don PPE in the clean room, work, then remove coveralls in the dirty/equipment room by rolling them inside out and bagging them before showering.