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Personal Protective Equipment in Tijuana: How to Build the Matrix
Buying PPE goes wrong when it starts at the catalog. It goes right when it starts at the workstation.
What NOM-017-STPS-2008 actually requires
The Mexican standard on selection, use and management of PPE in workplaces requires identifying hazards by position, determining the equipment corresponding to each, providing it, training on its use and supervising that it is used. The part most neglected is not the purchase: it is documenting the analysis that justifies it.
The right order: hazard, level, material, size
First the hazard of the position. Then the protection level that hazard demands. Then the compatible material. Size and model come last. Reversing the order — starting from what is in stock — is what produces the classic A6 glove in a fine assembly job that nobody wears.
The five most underestimated hazards
Noise, because hearing loss does not hurt. Fine particulates, because they are invisible. Cuts in pallet handling, because "it's only cardboard". Electrical risk from portable tools. And falls under two meters, which still produce serious injuries.
How to read a cut scale
ANSI/ISEA 105 runs A1 to A9; EN 388 uses four digits for abrasion, cut, tear and puncture. They are different scales on different machines: they do not translate. If your corporate specification is in one and the supplier quotes the other, ask for the figure in the one that applies.
What a PPE quote must contain
Product with brand and model, level or class, the standard it meets, packaging, unit price, lead time and replenishment terms. A quote that just says "industrial glove, 500 pairs" allows no comparison and is worthless as audit evidence.
Why the program collapses in month four
Because nobody set up the replenishment calendar. PPE is not a purchase, it is a consumption: gloves, plugs, lenses and disposables run out at a known rate. If the supplier does not leave you the calendar, you will find out the morning the dispenser is empty.
Need to equip your plant?
Tell us which position needs protection and how many people. We reply with datasheets, an itemized price and a firm delivery date.