What Is 5-Point PPE? UK Construction Site Guide

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5-point PPE is the basic set of personal protective equipment that many UK construction sites expect everyone to wear: a hard hat, high-visibility clothing, safety boots, gloves and eye protection. The phrase comes from site rules rather than the law. The legal duty comes from the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, as amended in 2022, which require employers to provide suitable PPE free of charge wherever a risk assessment shows it is needed.

Typical construction hazards and how they are controlled are a core part of the CITB Health and Safety Awareness course for people new to construction. You can see dates on our CITB Health and Safety Awareness course page. Here is what each of the five points does and what the law says.

The five points of PPE explained

Item	What it protects against	Key points from HSE
Hard hat (safety helmet)	Falling objects and banging your head	Must fit, be in good condition and allow hearing protection to be worn with it. Replace it if it is damaged and buy only from a reputable supplier, as fake hard hats are on the market
High-visibility clothing	Being struck by vehicles or plant	Should be worn wherever vehicles or plant operate, including by drivers when they leave their cab. A tabard is often enough for routine site use
Safety boots	Dropped objects, nails and other sharp objects underfoot	Steel toecaps (or equivalent) protect against dropped objects and midsole protection against treading on a nail
Gloves	Cuts, abrasion, impact, heat, cold and chemicals	Choose gloves for the hazard. Avoid gloves when using machines such as bench drills where they could get caught
Eye protection	Dust, flying particles and splashes	Safety glasses, goggles or face shields, chosen for the right mix of impact, dust or splash protection and a proper fit

Is 5-point PPE a legal requirement?

Not as a fixed list. The law does not say “wear five items”. Regulation 4 of the PPE at Work Regulations 1992 says employers must provide suitable PPE to workers who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety, except where that risk is already adequately controlled by other means that are equally or more effective.

In practice, HSE’s construction PPE guidance backs up three of the five points directly. It says that on almost all construction sites the risk of head injury is such that the law requires head protection to be worn, that construction workers are expected to wear protective footwear on site, and that if a site has a high-visibility policy you must follow it. Gloves and eye protection depend on the task, which is why many sites make them standard too. Treat 5-point PPE as the minimum, not the maximum.

PPE is the last line of defence

HSE describes PPE as the last resort. Its hierarchy of controls runs in this order, from most to least effective:

Elimination: physically remove the hazard
Substitution: replace the hazard with something less harmful
Engineering controls: isolate people from the hazard
Administrative controls: change the way people work
PPE: protect the worker with equipment

For example, HSE suggests reducing the risk of head injury first by stopping objects falling, using scaffolds with toe boards and brick guards, and then providing hard hats for the risk that remains. The same thinking applies to falls, where guard rails come before harnesses, as we explain in what counts as working at height.

What the PPE at Work Regulations require

The regulations define PPE as all equipment, including clothing that protects against the weather, intended to be worn or held by a person at work to protect them against risks to their health and safety. The main duties are:

Regulation	What it requires
Regulation 4	Provide suitable PPE. It must be appropriate for the risk and conditions, fit the wearer correctly and not increase the overall risk
Regulation 6	Assess PPE before choosing it, including whether items worn together are compatible
Regulation 7	Maintain, clean and replace PPE so it stays in good working order
Regulation 9	Give workers information, instruction and training on the risks, how to use the PPE and how to look after it
Regulation 10	Employers must take reasonable steps to make sure PPE is properly used; workers must use it as trained and return it to its storage after use
Regulation 11	Workers must report any loss of or obvious defect in their PPE straight away

What changed in 2022?

Since 6 April 2022, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 have extended these duties from employees to “limb (b)” workers, who generally have a more casual working relationship. If a risk assessment shows a limb (b) worker needs PPE, the employer must assess it and provide it free of charge, just as for employees. The change does not apply to people who are self-employed.

Who pays for PPE?

The employer. Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 stops employers charging employees for anything provided to meet a specific legal requirement, and HSE confirms PPE must be provided free of charge where a risk assessment shows it is needed. On construction safety footwear and hi-vis, HSE adds that workers do not have to pay so long as they look after the kit and make it last a reasonable time.

Beyond the five points

Many jobs need more than the basic five. HSE’s guidance on choosing PPE lists protection for the ears, lungs and whole body as well. Common additions on site include:

Hearing protection where noise is high. See our guide to measuring noise on a construction site.
Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) for dust, mist, gas or fume. HSE says tight-fitting facepieces must be fit tested by a competent person, and stubble or beards make a good seal impossible.
Harnesses and lanyards where a fall risk remains after collective protection.
Suitable clothing to cover the skin, protect against the sun and keep warm in cold weather.

PPE for some risks, including noise, hazardous substances, asbestos, lead and ionising radiation, is covered by its own regulations rather than the 1992 PPE Regulations.

Learning site safety with Target Zero

Our one-day CITB Health and Safety Awareness course is designed for people with little or no practical experience of construction. It covers workers’ responsibilities for their own safety and the safety of others, typical construction hazards and how they are controlled, legal requirements, working at height, manual handling, fire prevention, work equipment and occupational health. For employers who want to run their own RPE fit testing programme, our one-day face fit course is delivered by a fit2fit accredited assessor and covers the selection, use and maintenance of RPE, fit test protocols and practical fit testing.

Target Zero has more than 10,000 verified reviews on Reviews.io and a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot.

FAQs

What is 5-point PPE?

5-point PPE is the basic set of personal protective equipment that many UK construction sites require as a minimum: a hard hat, high-visibility clothing, safety boots, gloves and eye protection.

Is 5-point PPE a legal requirement?

The five-item list comes from site rules, not the law. The PPE at Work Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable PPE wherever risks are not adequately controlled by other means, and many sites set all five items as the minimum in their site rules.

Does my employer have to pay for PPE?

Yes. Employers must provide PPE free of charge where a risk assessment shows it is needed, and the Health and Safety at Work Act stops them charging employees for it.

Do casual workers get free PPE?

Since 6 April 2022, limb (b) workers are covered by the PPE at Work Regulations. If they need PPE, their employer must assess and provide it free of charge, as for employees.

Do you have to wear a hard hat on a construction site?

On almost all construction sites, yes. HSE says the risk of head injury on most sites means the law requires head protection. Turban-wearing Sikhs are exempt from the legal requirement to wear a safety helmet, but must wear other required PPE.

Can I wear rigger boots on a construction site?

Only if the site allows them. HSE notes that some contractors ban rigger boots because wearers are more likely to twist or sprain an ankle, and you must follow that site rule.

5-point PPE is the starting point for staying safe on site, and knowing why each item matters is what makes people wear it properly. To build that understanding, see dates on our CITB Health and Safety Awareness course page, or call 0333 444 0018 to talk to our team.