Workplace Safety: Collective and Individual Protection

Collective and Individual Protection

Introduction to Preventive Action

A basic principle of preventive action is "combating the risks at source." This is not always possible, so other measures must be taken to protect security. Security protection can be divided into individual protection and collective protection. Current legislation prioritizes collective protection over individual protection.

Collective Security Measures

Collective security is the technique that protects against risks that could not be prevented or reduced. It can also be defined as a system that simultaneously protects more than one person. It is, in short, the set of all systems or measures whose implementation is to preserve the integrity and health of a group or all employees. Examples include:

• Safety devices
• Platforms
• Safety networks
• Differential signaling of risks

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Protective equipment is any equipment designed to be worn or held by the worker to protect them against one or more risks that may threaten their safety or health, as well as any addition or accessory designed for this purpose. This is the set of systems or measures for those risks that have not been eliminated by collective security mechanisms. These are available to certain workers required for the development of safe and healthy functions, such as:

• Gloves
• Eye protection
• Footwear
• Helmets

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should only be used when risks cannot be eliminated or controlled sufficiently by means of collective protection or adequate, well-organized work methods and procedures. The mission of an item of personal protection is to prevent harm to the worker, whether an accidental injury or an occupational disease.

To fulfill this mission, the equipment must have certain characteristics and meet certain requirements to ensure its protective function, which shall be regulated by the appropriate approval. It should be taken into account, above all, that personal protection does not prevent the risk of an accident; therefore, it is essential to use techniques designed to evade security risks and only ultimately resort to their use. Sometimes for economic reasons and others for technical reasons, it is necessary to protect the user individually with protective clothing.

Differences Between Protection Types

Collective protection is designed and implemented to prevent or reduce risk, while personal protection is never intended to eliminate or even reduce the risk itself. Instead, it only seeks to eliminate or otherwise mitigate the consequences for the health of the worker resulting from that risk.