Collective (DPC)

Devices that have the task of limiting a risk or containing damage to the health of workers as a whole or groups of workers exposed to a specific risk.

They are plant-related measures and therefore not provided to individual workers.

The hierarchy of risk protection requires that collective protection is to be preferred to individual protection, which only intervenes for the residual amount of risk.

e.g. Chemical/biological hoods, automatic fire extinguishing systems, fire doors, ventilated safety cabinets, UPS, safety signs, earthing, smoke and gas evacuators

Individual (DPI)

Devices that have the task of limiting a risk or containing damage to the health of the individual worker and are usually wearable.

As with collective protection, PPE is specifically identified based on the type of risk to which the worker is exposed.

e.g. gloves, protective glasses, helmet with fire visor, self-contained breathing apparatus, filter masks, protective gowns, safety footwear