# Did you know what PPE meant? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617 "2020-05-12T02:28:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617/62 "2020-05-14T19:28:05Z")
IMHO you’re missing an option on your poll. 🙂 I chose “I do now that they have been talking about it but hadn’t heard it before” but my actual answer would be: “I know it refers to items that people wear for protection from Covid-19, but I don’t know what it’s actually an initialism for.” So I looked it up just now before posting this; and I’ll have to look it up again, because I’ll forget what it stands for. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617/63 "2020-05-14T19:44:40Z")
I was not familiar with the term, and the first time I heard it on the radio - weeks and weeks ago now - I was annoyed: “c’mon, guys, don’t use abbreviations no one knows!” But within a day or two, it felt like a term I’d always known. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617/64 "2020-05-15T22:38:37Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > I voted “yes and the term is used often in my profession,” but my experience is actually somewhere between that answer and “Yes I know what it means but never used it.” > > I knew what it meant, I have used it professionally in the past (in the Navy and at Walmart) but the term is not often used in my current profession (attorney). Retail and education. You get trained to use it for certain circumstances, but rarely (not ever for me yet) actually use it. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617/65 "2020-05-18T05:03:40Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I design industrial controllers and controls for a living. PPE is a common term in our business, though like the OP, the term is generally used to protect from injury rather than illness. > > Typical PPE for industrial use is a hard hat, safety glasses, steel toed boots, and gloves, but can be other things, depending on the site. Face shields, masks, respirators, tyvek suits, gas detectors, ear protection, and safety harnesses are just a few examples. I have worked in pharmaceutical research facilities where required PPE included a labcoat, and I have worked in other facilities where booties, rubber gloves, and head coverings were required. > > So yeah, when I heard PPE in reference to Covid-19, I knew immediately that it meant masks, gowns, face shields, rubber gloves, etc. Still do all the industrial PPE plus the arc flash uniform and cut resistant gloves I take off to put the high voltage gloves on (1000V rated), electrical meters. Now they’ve added medical masks under the face shields. This is it now since I gave up the ammonia contact hazmat gear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-what-ppe-meant/853617.md?page=3)