PPEare
PPEare is a term used in safety studies to refer to an integrated approach to personal protective equipment (PPE) and human factors. The term combines PPE with “are” as a linguistic stand-in for awareness, resilience, and ethics, emphasizing PPE as an active participant in work practices rather than a passive barrier.
Origin and concept: PPEare arose in theoretical discussions about how PPE design, usability, and organizational culture
Core components: ergonomic fit, visibility of status (e.g., indicators of integrity), ease of donning and doffing,
Applications: used in case-study analyses of healthcare, industrial, and laboratory settings to illustrate how PPE adoption
Criticisms: some critics argue that PPEare risks shifting responsibility from organizations to individuals and may oversimplify
See also: personal protective equipment, human factors, safety culture, risk communication, ergonomics.