PPE for mechanical work: a field compliance checklist

On a mechanical job site in Greater Montréal — boiler room, pump room, rooftop with packaged units — personal protective equipment (PPE) is not paperwork. It is the last barrier between the technician and a real hazard: a chunk of scale flying off during a teardown, the noise of a running burner, invisible carbon monoxide, a load that slips. This checklist runs through each protection station, with the CSA standards required in Quebec and the reflexes specific to gas heating and combustion installations.

The framework: who supplies what

Before the equipment list, one rule shapes everything else. Section 338 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (RSST) requires the employer to supply protective equipment free of charge and to make sure workers know how to use it. The technician, in turn, has a duty to wear it. Owning your own PPE can never be a hiring criterion.

Several pieces of PPE must meet a specific CSA standard. The RSST makes some of these directly mandatory (eyes and feet in particular), and the CNESST recommends the others as selection references. Knowing the right numbers keeps non-compliant gear off the truck.

⚠ Safety — PPE does not replace eliminating the hazard

PPE sits at the bottom of the hierarchy of prevention measures: you eliminate the hazard at the source first, isolate it next, and only then protect the person. A gas detector, an applied lock and adequate ventilation beat any mask. PPE complements those measures; it does not replace them.

Step 1 — Assess the hazards of the task

No PPE choice is universal. Before the job, identify the real hazards of the task: is there a projection risk? falling objects? a high noise level? combustion products or low oxygen? a confined space? This assessment — even a quick one, said out loud with the crew — drives everything that follows. Picking PPE “out of habit” is the leading cause of under-protection.

Step 2 — Head, eyes and hearing

Tools required: hard hat, safety glasses or face shield, hearing protectors.

• Head: a hard hat compliant with CSA Z94.1 wherever there is a risk of falling or striking — under a service mezzanine, near a suspended load, in a cluttered boiler room.
• Eyes and face: section 343 of the RSST makes an eye protector compliant with CSA Z94.3 mandatory for any worker exposed to a risk of eye or facial injury — flying particles, chemical splash, intense radiation. A face shield is added to glasses, not a substitute, for grinding or pressure cleaning.
• Hearing: in a noisy environment (running burner, blower, mechanical room), wear hearing protectors compliant with CSA Z94.2, chosen so they do not interfere with glasses or a hard hat.

Step 3 — Feet and hands

Tools required: safety footwear, gloves matched to the task.

• Feet: section 344 of the RSST requires protective footwear compliant with CSA Z195 on mechanical sites. Check for the CSA mark on the boot — that is the proof of compliance, not the brand name.
• Hands: there is no single glove. The choice depends on the dominant hazard — cut (sheet metal, heat-exchanger fins), heat (hot combustion piping), or chemicals (water treatment, solvents). A cut-resistant glove does not protect against heat, and vice versa.

Step 4 — Respiratory protection and gas detection

This is the most poorly managed station in building mechanics. Any use of a respiratory protective device must fall under a program compliant with CSA Z94.4: the device choice depends on the contaminant’s properties, its concentration, the oxygen level and the exposure time. A disposable mask is not a one-size-fits-all protection.

Near a gas appliance, the non-negotiable reflex is a portable carbon monoxide detector. CO is odourless and colourless; it will never be “smelled” in time. If an alarm sounds or symptoms appear, the procedure is laid out in our guide on responding to carbon monoxide. In a confined space (tank, pit, duct), no entry without prior atmospheric testing and a dedicated procedure.

Step 5 — Lockout and hot work

Before any teardown, lock out the energy sources — electrical, gas, hydraulic, steam — to remove the risk of accidental restart. Lockout falls under the RSST and is not optional on energized or pressurized equipment.

For hot work (welding, brazing, grinding), clear the area of combustibles, keep an extinguisher within reach and provide a fire watch after the job: a hot spot can smoulder for a long time before igniting.

Step 6 — Inspect and maintain PPE

Damaged PPE gives a false sense of safety. Before each use: hard hat free of cracks, lenses not scratched to the point of impairing vision, footwear soles and toe caps intact, mask seals supple. Replace any worn or expired gear, and log inspections in the crew’s records — traceability is part of compliance, just as much as wearing the gear. Folding this check into the preventive maintenance routine ensures nothing slips through.

One line per station

PPE compliance is not a box to tick: it is a discipline re-evaluated at every workstation. That is the level of rigour the Montréal Combustion team applies on every job.