Personal protective equipment, most commonly known to as ‘PPE’, is the equipment worn to ensure minimum exposure to health and body risks. These risk hazards comprise of coming into contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. Some of items that include personal protective equipment are such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests and full body suits.
The most commonly assumed personal protective equipment in any institution or home is the fire extinguishers.
Water and Foam
This type of personal protective equipment uses foam agents that separate the oxygen element crucial for the sustainment of a flame. The water aspect of it extinguishes the fire by taking away the heat element of it.
The water and foam extinguishers are used for class A fires which normally consist of ordinary fire agents caused by paper, trash, wood or any agent that may leave ash.
Carbon Dioxide
This kind of fire extinguishers used as personal protective equipment takes away the oxygen element of a flame. It is combined with extremely cold agents to kill the heat aspect of a flame.
The carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is most commonly used on class B fires and class C fires.
Class B fires are fires that are enhanced by flammable or combustible liquids. Such liquids include gasoline, oil or spirits. The most dangerous flames are the ones caused by petrol liquids while class C fires include fires caused by electrical mishaps. Carbon dioxide is best to use for this kind of flames as it is a non-conductive agent.
Dry Chemical
Dry chemical fire extinguishers are basically used on fires that are caused by some chemical reaction. Areas to place such personal protective equipment are in areas such as the laboratories, chemical industries and such.
In recent decades the multipurpose chemical extinguisher has been the most used fire extinguishers as it is most effective on flames caused by combustible liquids (class B), flames as a result of electric problems ( class B) and the normal fire flames caused by agents such as paper (class A)
Wet Chemical
This type of fire extinguishers extinguishes the fire by killing the heat of the fire triangle and makes sure there is no further re ignition by creating a coating that prevents oxygen from reaching the fuel elements that had initially caused the flame.
This type of personal protective equipment is recommended for flames in class K which are flames caused by cooking oils, grease or animal fat.
Clean Agent
Also known as halogenated fire extinguishers or clean agent extinguishers are personal protective equipments used for its halon agents as well as the newer and less ozone depleting halocarbon agents. They cut fire out by getting to disrupt the chemical reaction of the fire triangle.
The clean agent fire extinguishers is most appropriately recommended for fire triangles placed in class B, i.e. combustible liquids, and class C, i.e. flames caused by electric malfunctions. For bigger flames in class A and B, larger amounts of clean agent extinguishers are recommended for maximum functionality.
Dry Powder
T`he dry powder fire extinguishers are relatively similar to dry chemical extinguishers with the contrast coming in the sense that they extinguish the flame by separating the fuel from the oxygen part of it or by killing the heat element of the fire.
The important detail to note for the dry powder extinguisher is that it is more active when used on fires in class D, the combustible metal fires only. They are extremely not able to extinguish flames in the other classes.
A particular kind of flame requires a specific kind of fire extinguisher. Using theappropriate kind of fire extinguishers as personal protective equipment ensures that the fire is taken out for good. There is no more re ignitions.
