Okuzeka
Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Site Safety

PPE

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

abbreviationCore term

In civil engineering & construction, PPE means: Personal protective equipment: the items workers wear to protect themselves from injury, such as a hard hat, safety boots, a high-visibility vest, gloves and goggles.

In Turkish: kişisel koruyucu donanım, KKD

How it is used

Heard at every site gate and in every safety induction. People wear, issue and check PPE, and signs say 'PPE must be worn beyond this point'. It is uncountable: 'my PPE', not 'my PPEs'.

Example sentences

  1. No one goes past the gate without full PPE.

  2. The safety officer stopped two workers because their PPE was incomplete.

Common collocations

  • wear PPE
  • full PPE
  • PPE requirements
  • issue PPE
  • PPE check
  • hard hatA strong plastic helmet that protects the head from falling objects and knocks. On most sites it must be worn at all times outside the offices and welfare areas.
  • risk assessmentA careful review of a task or work area to identify hazards, judge how likely and how serious harm could be, and decide on control measures; also the document that records this.
  • working at heightAny work where a person could fall a distance and be injured, such as work on scaffolding, ladders or roofs, or near open edges and excavations.
  • toolbox talkA short, informal safety meeting on site, usually at the start of a shift, about one specific hazard or task, such as lifting operations or hot weather.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Site Safety

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: