A brief history of key personal protective equipment

For many years, working in heavy industry was a way of life for many workers around the world. The community recognized their hard work whenever they left or returned home. Leaving the work site covered in all kinds of dust, having holes in their clothes or having burns on them was just normal. However, it became obvious that some industries needed to be looked at more carefully for the health of their workers. The mining industry stood out in this aspect, and the protection of the workers started to trigger more observation and awareness. It started late in the 19th century and continued to the early 20th century. On this journey, the mining industry started by “the recognition of the need for safety in hazardous environments” to look into what will become personal protective equipment (PPE). Some risks were more obvious like respiratory exposure and head injury. The recognition of the need for respiratory protection goes back to the Roman Empire, with Pliny the Elder, a philosopher and naturalist, and the Renaissance period, with Leonardo Da Vinci. Both recognized that some work environments needed respiratory protection, like “a wet cloth over mouth and nose” [1]. It would take more time — centuries — to get to a real progress and understanding of “how to protect miners.” From the 18th to the 19th century, the industry would see several changes that led to the implementation of the first respirator. Different scientists from European countries did multiple research works and understood the behaviors of small particulates with the properties of filter media. In the United States, a new entity was created: the U.S. Bureau of Mines (1910) (USBM). One of the USBM’s early concerns was the high fatality rate of miners. The first health and safety program developed was the respirator certification program (1919). It started to be implemented in mining companies across the United States with the support of manufacturers like MSA Safety Co. (1920). On Jan. 15, 1920, the USBM certified the first respirator, the Gibbs breathing apparatus. The apparatus, originally designed for mine work, became the first respirator approved for industrial work [1]. The next evolution for respiratory protection came with the lessons from World War I (WWI) and applied to World War II. Lessons were gleaned not only from the battlefields but also from the day-to-day work performed on military equipment. One of the lessons came from the increased use of asbestos as insulation for pipes in naval vessels, and the understanding, from one of the U.S. Navy medical officers, that the crew will need to wear respirators when cutting and wetting insulation. All of the lessons learned helped to modify the original respiratory protection from the USBM. From WWI, another military PPE came into the spotlight as one that could change the mining industry: the hard hat. A lieutenant from the U.S. Cavalry, whose father was a mining equipment supplier, had the idea and inspiration that the “metal helmet doughboys wore to deflect the hail of bullets raining down” [2] could be used in the mining industry. The “hard boiled hat” was invented, and gold and copper miners in California and Nevada were the first to use it. The PPE journey took a long time to be seen as essential for all heavy industry and for the oldest one, mining. The respiratory protection and the hard-hat journey help to change the way miners worked in the industry. It started the process for the need for legislation to support the health and safety of workers. It supported the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act.” In the meantime, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was also created. Under NIOSH umbrellas, research and standards developments have been crucial to ensure the health and safety of workers in the heavy industries. OSHA and NIOSH have been critical to increase the development and improvement of PPE, procedures and health and safety programs. For the last 50-plus years, regulators, government agencies and the mining industry have been working closely together to improve and increase the health and safety of every worker. From the precursor of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance to the “newer” centuries, the evolution and understanding of the need for PPE have increased tremendously. Today, new technologies are giving the mining industry more tools and equipment for the next generation of PPE.  References NPPTL, NIOSH, CDC, 100 Years of Respiratory Protection History, https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/niosh/npptl/100YearsRespProtect.html Industry Week, Hard Hat Turns 100; Impact on Industrial Safety Never Gets Old, https://www.industryweek.com/technology-and-iiot/article/22027269/hard-hat-turns-100-impact-on-industrial-safety-nevergets-old

A brief history of key personal protective equipment

Authored by: Sigrid-Audrey Richard, Communications Chair, Health & Safety Division

To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

Get your SME Foundation VIP Access Conference Pass to MINEXCHANGE 2027

“Check the box” and help support the SME Foundation

The Art and Science of the Flowsheet

Get your SME Foundation VIP Access Conference Pass to MINEXCHANGE 2027

“Check the box” and help support the SME Foundation

The Art and Science of the Flowsheet

To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

Meet the M&E Chair: Daniel Rosenbach

Anatomy of excellence: What makes an IM&A Division award winner?

Related Articles

Get your SME Foundation VIP Access Conference Pass to MINEXCHANGE 2027

“Check the box” and help support the SME Foundation

The Art and Science of the Flowsheet

UCA Division officer nominations

Get your SME Foundation VIP Access Conference Pass to MINEXCHANGE 2027

“Check the box” and help support the SME Foundation

The Art and Science of the Flowsheet

Get your SME Foundation VIP Access Conference Pass to MINEXCHANGE 2027

“Check the box” and help support the SME Foundation

The Art and Science of the Flowsheet

Use Single Sign On