Personal Protective Equipment

All apprentices employed by 1300apprentice are provided with basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suitable for the job that is being performed. Trainees working in the field also receive PPE relevant to the position. A 1300apprentice is responsible for the equipment and you must always use the safety equipment provided.  Below is an explanation of the PPE provided and their use.

Clothing Protective clothing is provided for all apprentices. Long pants and long sleeved shirts protect your arms and legs on work sites from sun exposure and flying objects. High visability safety vests are also supplied. Hardhat Don’t ignore the hard hat signs on construction sites. It is an offence under the Work Health and Safety Act to ignore hardhat signs. The hard hat is there to protect you from falling objects which you may not see.

Earmuffs Earmuffs are worn to protect your ears and hearing when working in noisy environments. Earmuffs should always be worn in these environments as over time, constant exposure to excessive noise levels will damage your hearing if preventative measures are not taken.

Dust Mask/Respiratory Gear Dust masks protect your respiratory system from mechanically generated particles or dust. If you are working in situations where there is exposure to gas and vapours then you may also require respiratory gear and filter cartridges. Speak to your field office to obtain this specialist equipment.

Eye Protection Safety glasses (both tinted and non-tinted) protect you from flying objects when working within close distance to powered machinery and equipment. The tinted safety glasses protect your eyes from UV radiation.

Sheet Metal Gloves Protective gloves are included in your PPE kit. If you work with materials such as glass and metal you will be provided with the pictured gloves. These gloves are made with Dyneema® fibres and protect from cuts and abrasion.

General Purpose Gloves For apprentices who don’t require the heavy duty gloves pictured above we supply Barry gloves. These gloves provide grip, abrasion resistance and can reduce hand fatigue because of the material they are made from. They will also provide a small amount of protection from cuts.

Steel Capped Boots All apprentices are required to wear steel toe cap boots on all work sites. Replace your boots when they start to show wear and tear or when the steel cap becomes visible.  Apprentices are required to supply their own steel toe cap boot however 1300apprentice will reimburse the cost of the boots in accordance with the amount expressed in the relevant industry award.

Sun Protection Use a full wide brim sun hat and neck cover for outdoor work even in winter or when it’s overcast. Use the hard hat adjustment when wearing a hard hat outdoors.

Welding Equipment For trades that involve welding such as Heavy Fabrication, Boilermaking and Heavy Vehicle Body Building, apprentices are supplied with additional PPE items. Welding Mask Welding masks are worn whilst welding to prevent welder’s flash (click here for more information) by blocking intense exposure to UV rays. Welding Apron and Gloves Welders are also required to wear a heavy duty leather apron and gloves to protect their bodies from any sparks and other hot objects that may come off when welding.

Welding Spats Welding spats are worn over the tops of long pants and work boots to prevent sparks and other hot objects running down welder’s legs and into the boots.