Posted By David Bannister Paul, my feeling is that it depends on why the overalls are needed and the nature of the job being done by the contractors. If the need is to protect your product and production process from contamination then you should probably be providing the overalls to ensure that they use appropriate ones. If the need is to protect the contractors from haz. subs. exposure then again perhaps you need to provide the PPE. However, if the contractors are a regular feature or an integral part of your operations then there may be an argument for them providing their own. However the costs of this will eventually be borne by you in the contract cost. For routine jobs that need overalls eg cleaners, machinery maintenance, catering etc then I would expect the relevant tradespersons to be appropriately kitted out.

Posted By steve e ashton They may be 'agency contractors' for payment etc purposes. But for H&S purposes they are your employees - you tell 'em what to do, where to do it and what to do it with. You are responsible for their work and for their safety, so you supply the PPE. If you employ someone for only one day - you are still obliged to supply. Depending on use and nature of clothing issued, it may be possible to request that 'supplied' items are returned on departure. If they are in good condition, they could then be laundered and offered to the next 'right size' recruit... But in practice you will save very little, and will further exacerbate your recruitment problems by demonstrating very clearly just how little your employees are worth... I think you have the right approach Paul - supply and simply swallow the cost. Steve.