Abstract

The use of protective equipment is itself a cause of a number of safety hazards, and may cause a variety of psychosocial reactions among workers using such equipment. These phenomena, and the proportion of workers in the Québec manufacturing sector using protective equipment, have not been examined in detail.

Following a literature review and a series of partially-directed interviews, a telephone questionnaire was administered to 702 workers from 39 manufacturing companies with at least 70 employees. This type of company accounts for most of the workforce in this sector. Information was gathered on five categories of personal and collective protective equipment, including hearing, eye, and respiratory equipment.

The results indicate that approximately 185 640 Québec workers use personal or collective protective equipment, and that these workers are concentrated in companies with at least 70 workers. Injuries associated with the use of personal protective equipment were identified; workers appear relatively uninformed about this type of injury. Use of protective equipment is frequently considered elective.

The study recommends that workers receive better information about personal protective equipment and that follow-up procedures be improved. The project's description of injuries and discomfort caused by personal protective equipment should lead to improvements in equipment design.