Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): what do the regulations say?

PPE are provided free of charge to protect workers based on the risks involved. Their selection, use, and maintenance are regulated, with mandatory training and periodic inspections.

Amélie Peyre
Consultante HSE
Publication : 
24.07.2025
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Please note: This article concerns French legislation. The requirements described may not apply in other countries.

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As part of a prevention strategy and depending on the risks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be implemented. This is the eighth pillar of the general principles of prevention, which naturally comes into play only after prioritizing the implementation of Collective Protective Equipment (Article L. 4121-2 of the Labor Code).

PPE helps protect workers against various risks, such as noise, non-ionizing radiation (lasers, UV lamps, etc.), electrical hazards, falls from heights, and chemical exposure.

Selecting PPE

The selected PPE must be appropriate for the risks to be prevented and the conditions under which the work is performed.

In cases where multiple risks require the simultaneous use of several pieces of PPE, the equipment must be compatible and maintain its effectiveness against the corresponding risks.

To select PPE, the employer must take into account:

  • the severity of the risk,
  • the frequency of exposure to the risk,
  • the characteristics of each worker's workstation,
  • the performance of the PPE in question,
  • atmospheric conditions, including the consideration of heat-related risks during periods of extreme heat (a new requirement introduced by Decree No. 2025-482 of May 27, 2025).

It is worth noting that setting up a test group can be beneficial to validate the choice of PPE and encourage worker compliance. The occupational physician or, more broadly, the occupational health and prevention service may be consulted to provide assistance and expertise during the selection process.

After consulting the Social and Economic Committee, the employer determines the conditions under which PPE is provided and used, including the duration of wear.

Provision

The employer provides PPE to workers free of charge.

The employer must ensure that PPE remains in good working order and in a satisfactory hygienic condition through maintenance, repairs, and replacements as necessary.

PPE maintenance must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations as described in the user manual.

PPE is intended for personal use only in the course of professional activities.

However, if the nature of the equipment and the circumstances require the equipment to be used by more than one person, appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that such use does not pose any health or hygiene problems for the various users.

Staff information / training

The employer must appropriately inform workers who are required to use personal protective equipment about:

  • the risks against which the personal protective equipment protects them;
  • the conditions for using this equipment, particularly the purposes for which it is intended;
  • instructions or guidelines regarding the personal protective equipment;
  • the conditions under which the personal protective equipment is made available.

The employer shall draw up instructions for use that present this information in an understandable manner.

In certain cases, particularly for the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or safety harnesses, workers required to use this PPE must receive adequate training, including practice in wearing the equipment.

This training must be repeated as often as necessary to ensure that the equipment is used in accordance with the instructions for use.

Periodic inspection and maintenance

PPE subject to annual periodic inspections (Order of March 19, 1993) includes:

  • self-contained breathing apparatus intended for evacuation;
  • breathing apparatus and complete equipment intended for emergency interventions in hazardous environments;
  • inflatable life jackets;
  • personal fall protection systems;
  • stocks of gas filter cartridges for respiratory protective equipment.

Periodic inspections are carried out by qualified persons, whether or not they belong to the establishment, whose list is kept available for the labor inspectorate.

These individuals possess the necessary competence to perform their duties regarding the personal protective equipment subject to inspection and are familiar with the corresponding regulatory provisions.

Articles R. 4323-91 to Article R. 4323-106 of the Labor Code

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