RISK RESOURCES NEWSLETTER

08.11.2026

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) As Your Last Line of Defense

If you've watched football long enough, you've seen a player launch himself head-first into a tackle, using his helmet like a battering ram. It's a shocking sight when you stop to think about it. A human being is leading with the most fragile part of his body, the brain, into a collision with another human being running at full speed.

Why would anyone do that?

Dr. John Leddy, International Concussion Society president, said:
"When you put a good helmet on someone, they feel protected. That feeling can change behavior. It can make a player comfortable taking a risk he’d never take without the helmet. Meanwhile, the danger is still very real."

In rugby, full contact, no helmets, players rarely lead with their heads. The absence of protection encourages better technique.

This is the paradox: sometimes the feeling of safety increases the willingness to take risks.

The same thing can happen in the workplace.

Hard hats, gloves, safety glasses, high-visibility vests, respirators, and fall protection absolutely have value. In many situations, they save lives. But PPE can also present a subtle psychological trap. It can create a false sense of security.

Workers may think:

I've got gloves on, so I can reach in for just a second.
I'm wearing a harness, so I can get a little closer to the edge.
I have a high-visibility vest, so the forklift operator will see me.

Leaders can fall into the same trap. Once PPE has been issued, it's tempting to believe the hazard has been addressed. In reality, the hazard is often exactly where it was before. The only thing that has changed is what the employee is wearing.
PPE is vitally important, but it has a specific place in safety management. It should be considered as a last line of defense. It does not eliminate the hazard. It does not redesign the work. It simply helps to reduce the severity of injury if every other safeguard fails.

Before selecting PPE, organizations should first evaluate the task, identify hazards, and determine whether the exposure can be eliminated, substituted, or controlled through engineering and administrative measures. PPE selection should be the result of the hazard assessment process—not the starting point.

The Leadership Question

The lesson isn’t that PPE is ineffective; it’s that high-performing organizations never stop there. They ask a more fundamental question like: “How can we redesign the work so employees aren’t exposed to the hazard in the first place?”

That shift, from relying on PPE to addressing the hazard at its source, can be a meaningful difference between compliance thinking and leadership thinking.

The Hierarchy of Controls

For decades, high-hazard industries have relied on the “Hierarchy of Controls” to design safer operations. The concept is promoted by OSHA and built on a simple principle: The more a control depends on perfect human behavior, the less reliable it can become. People are fallible. Even highly trained, experienced employees make mistakes. Strong safety systems recognize that reality and are designed so that one mistake doesn't necessarily become a life-changing injury.

The “Hierarchy of Controls” provides a practical framework for designing those systems. The controls at the top are generally more effective because they remove or isolate the hazard, while those at the bottom depend more heavily on people consistently making the right decision. The goal is not always to choose a single control, but to start as high in the hierarchy as practical and use multiple layers of protection when necessary:

Elimination:
Remove the hazard completely.
Substitution:
Replace the hazard with a safer alternative.
Engineering Controls:
Physically separate people from the hazard.
Administrative Controls:
Reduce exposure through procedures, training, and work practices.
Personal Protective Equipment:
Reduce injury severity if exposure occurs.

A Practical Example

Few workplace hazards illustrate the hierarchy better than pedestrian interaction with forklifts.

Hazard: Employees and forklifts share the same workspace.

Hierarchy of Controls:

Level: Elimination
Example: Redesign the operation so pedestrians never enter forklift travel lanes or eliminate forklifts through conveyors or automation.

Level: Substitution
Example: Replace forklifts with lower-energy equipment such as pallet jacks or tuggers where practical.

Level: Engineering Controls
Example: Install barriers, guardrails, designated walkways, mirrors, lighting improvements, or proximity-detection systems that physically separate people from equipment.

Level: Administrative Controls
Example: Implement operator training, speed limits, designated travel routes, inspections, and operating procedures.

Level: PPE
Example: Require high-visibility clothing and safety footwear to reduce injury severity—not eliminate the hazard.

Notice the progression. As you move down the hierarchy, success depends more heavily on people consistently making the right decision every single time. That is why PPE belongs at the bottom, not because it lacks value, but because it should not be your primary defense.

PPE can fail due to improper fit, lack of maintenance, incorrect use, or equipment damage. Even the best protective equipment cannot fully compensate for an uncontrolled hazard.

Leadership Call to Action

A helpful leadership exercise is to review incidents, near misses, and routine tasks and ask: "If PPE was removed from this process tomorrow, what controls would still protect our employees?" The answer often reveals opportunities to strengthen the safety system.

The Bottom Line

Football helmets don't eliminate concussions. They simply reduce the consequences of impacts. PPE works the same way. The real danger begins when employees, or leaders start believing protective equipment makes unsafe conditions acceptable. Successful organizations don't build safety around the last line of defense. They build systems that remove hazards, separate people from hazards, and make safe performance the easiest performance.

Safety programs can be strengthened by identifying and addressing hazards before relying on personal protective equipment (PPE).

How Acrisure Risk Advisors Can Help

Let an Acrisure Risk Advisor help guide you in working to stay ahead of risk. Contact us to learn about our Risk Intelligence process that can help you navigate challenges and work toward optimizing performance. Our approach of combining data-driven analysis with contextual understanding allows us to offer valuable, focused recommendations for you.

Contact us today to learn how Acrisure Risk Resources can help support your company’s safety and risk management efforts or learn more about our business solutions now.

About the Author

Brian Fielkow

Acrisure Risk Resources

Brian Fielkow helps Acrisure clients grow their safety cultures and manage risk with his executive, operational, and safety leadership. Fielkow has published several books and articles, including Leading People Safely: How to Win on the Business Battlefield, co-authored with James T. Schultz.

The Leadership Question

That shift, from relying on PPE to addressing the hazard at its source, can be a meaningful difference between compliance thinking and leadership thinking.

A Practical Example

Few workplace hazards illustrate the hierarchy better than pedestrian interaction with forklifts.

Hazard: Employees and forklifts share the same workspace.

Hierarchy of Controls:

Level: Elimination
Example: Redesign the operation so pedestrians never enter forklift travel lanes or eliminate forklifts through conveyors or automation.

Level: Substitution
Example: Replace forklifts with lower-energy equipment such as pallet jacks or tuggers where practical.

Level: Administrative Controls
Example: Implement operator training, speed limits, designated travel routes, inspections, and operating procedures.

Level: PPE
Example: Require high-visibility clothing and safety footwear to reduce injury severity—not eliminate the hazard.

PPE can fail due to improper fit, lack of maintenance, incorrect use, or equipment damage. Even the best protective equipment cannot fully compensate for an uncontrolled hazard.

The Bottom Line

Safety programs can be strengthened by identifying and addressing hazards before relying on personal protective equipment (PPE).

How Acrisure Risk Advisors Can Help

Contact us today to learn how Acrisure Risk Resources can help support your company’s safety and risk management efforts or learn more about our business solutions now.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) As Your Last Line of Defense

The Leadership Question

The Hierarchy of Controls

A Practical Example

Leadership Call to Action

The Bottom Line

How Acrisure Risk Advisors Can Help

Brian Fielkow helps Acrisure clients grow their safety cultures and manage risk with his executive, operational, and safety leadership. Fielkow has published several books and articles, including Leading People Safely: How to Win on the Business Battlefield, co-authored with James T. Schultz.

Explore risk management solutions.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) As Your Last Line of Defense

The Leadership Question

The Hierarchy of Controls

A Practical Example

Leadership Call to Action

The Bottom Line

How Acrisure Risk Advisors Can Help

Brian Fielkow helps Acrisure clients grow their safety cultures and manage risk with his executive, operational, and safety leadership. Fielkow has published several books and articles, including Leading People Safely: How to Win on the Business Battlefield, co-authored with James T. Schultz.

Explore risk management solutions.