What actions should be taken if PPE is damaged or failed during work?

• A. Continue work unless the PPE fails catastrophically.
• B. Keep using the damaged PPE but note the incident.
• C. Stop work immediately, remove PPE, replace with proper equipment, and document the incident.
• D. Repair the PPE on site.

Answer: (C)

When PPE is damaged or fails, the protection it provides may no longer be guaranteed, so safety hinges on stopping work immediately and removing the compromised gear. Continuing with damaged PPE can expose you to the hazard more than you’re protected against, which could lead to serious injury. After removing the damaged equipment, replace it with proper, undamaged PPE before resuming work to restore the level of protection you rely on. It’s also important to document what happened—record the type of PPE, the fault or damage, the task at hand, and the replacement gear used—so the incident is tracked and corrective actions (such as removing the item from service or issuing a new one) can be taken. Repairs on site are generally not appropriate for damaged PPE, since compromised gear may not function as designed; replacement and proper tagging or retirement of the faulty item are the correct actions.