Protective goggles are close-fitting eye protection designed to reduce exposure of the eyes and surrounding mucous membranes to splashes, sprays, droplets, and particulates encountered in clinical care and healthcare operations. In many facilities, they are treated as essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and, depending on jurisdiction, may be regulated as safety PPE or as a medical device/medical equipment item used in healthcare environments.

Face shield is a form of personal protective equipment (PPE) used across hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and emergency services to reduce exposure of the wearer’s eyes, nose, and mouth to splashes, sprays, and droplets. In healthcare operations, it is often treated as essential hospital equipment because it supports staff safety, continuity of services, and infection prevention workflows—especially during procedures where fluid exposure is plausible.

Powered air purifying respirator PAPR is a type of respiratory protective medical device (often categorized as personal protective equipment in many jurisdictions) that uses a battery-powered blower to pull ambient air through filter(s) and deliver cleaner air to the wearer’s breathing zone. In healthcare, this hospital equipment is typically selected when staff need reliable respiratory and eye/face protection during exposure-prone work, especially where aerosols or airborne particles may be present.

N95 FFP2 respirator is a tight-fitting, filtering facepiece respirator used to reduce the wearer’s exposure to airborne particles. In healthcare, it is commonly treated as critical hospital equipment for staff safety during care activities where aerosols or airborne contaminants may be present. While “N95” and “FFP2” originate from different regulatory and testing frameworks, they are often discussed together because both represent high-filtration disposable respirator categories widely used in clinical workflows.

Disposable surgical mask is a single-use medical device worn over the nose and mouth to reduce the transfer of respiratory droplets and to provide a barrier against splashes and sprays in clinical environments. In many health systems it is classified and regulated as medical equipment, and it is a foundational item of hospital equipment for infection prevention and control (IPC) programs.