Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Hearing Protection, Protective Clothing, Protective Footwear, Hand Protection), By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2024

Industry Insights

The global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market size was valued at USD 38.38 billion in 2015. Mandatory workplace safety regulations by various international organizations such as NIOSH, OSHA, and NFPA have forced employers to maintain employee safety as one of their top priorities. Strict rules and guidelines regarding safety regulations & occupational health are anticipated to steer the PPE market over the next eight years.

The safety equipment need to be manufactured precisely according to the regulations/safety standards to make it appropriate for use, storage, and maintenance for a longer period. Industry participants have shifted their focus towards producing efficient and durable safety equipment to cater their global clientele requirements.

Employers have increasingly prioritized worker’s safety and have issued guidelines for the hazardous activities to minimize the potential workplace accidents. These incidents, if not monitored, may incur losses to the company in the form of reimbursements and settlements. There are huge costs related to non-compliance of safety & health procedures which is expected to urge end-use sectors to invest in maintaining the PPE inventory over the long term.

PPE is expected to witness rapid growth over next few years, owing to the strict health regulations concerning the safety of employees in industries such as oil & gas, chemical, manufacturing, and construction. These industries form a major contributor towards a country’s GDP and are among the largest employers of blue-collar workforce across the globe.

Product Insights

Hand protection equipment had the largest share of the total PPE demand growing at CAGR of 6.4% over the forecast period. As a part of enhancing product portfolio, some of the ongoing initiatives undertaken by major players include using high performance materials such as weaving ceramics, fiberglass, and metals in gloves. Risks associated with handling warm objects, corrosive chemicals, and heavy-duty equipment are expected to steer protective gloves demand over the long term.

Fall protection equipment is expected to witness significant growth over the next few years as compared to other PPE and is expected to be worth USD 3,653.1 million in 2024. A large number of multi-million infrastructure projects have marked the industrial economy of various countries in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The construction industry is associated with risks related to heights and ascents.

The work positioning equipment along with safety harness and lanyard play a crucial role for workers at heights for a prolonged duration. Fall arrest personal protective equipment enhances the safety of construction workers involved in commercial and industrial projects associated with tall structures. Increasing awareness towards the safety of workers along with rising industrial accidents on account of lack of proper PPE usage is expected to steer the market growth over the forecast period.

Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 7.0% over the next eight years. Increasing demand may be attributed to the rising incidence of communicable diseases such as H1N1, bird flu, and respiratory problems. This is further supported by rising RPE demand, to safeguard employees against hazardous gases, toxic vapors, chemical agents, biological contamination and radiological particles.

The air-purifying respirator emerged as the leading product among other safety respirators in 2015. It is used to protect employees against exposure to dust, toxic vapors, gases, and chemicals used in oil & gas and manufacturing sectors. Respirators form an important segment of PPE market owing to its increasing significance in various industries such as mining, chemicals, and manufacturing.

Virus-contaminated materials healthcare and pharmaceutical industries possess potential to harm its employees and patients as well. Concerns towards exposure to various influenza virus and hazardous gases are expected to steer PPE demand over the long term. The increasing number of workplace accidents has urged the companies to emphasize on workers’ safety & health involved in various high-risk activities.

End-use Insights

Manufacturing emerged as the largest end-use sector utilizing PPE in 2015 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7%. This segment is expected to witness substantial growth owing to rising manufacturing activities in countries such as the U.S., Japan, Germany, India, and China. Initiatives by Indian government such as “Make in India” are anticipated to positively affect PPE market trends in the country.

Construction is anticipated to witness rapid growth over next few years owing to increasing infrastructure expenditure in countries such as the UK, Indonesia, the U.S., India, and China. Growing need for better public infrastructure, such as airports, harbors, rail transport systems, and roadways is expected to drive construction industry across the globe.

Over 50% of the fatalities in the construction industry is due to fall from heights. Other incidents include struck-by-equipment, electrocution, and faulty machinery which are also common to the manufacturing sector. Aforementioned incidents have necessitated safety equipment demand across various countries in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Various processes in food industry such as weighing, mixing, cutting, dispensing, cleaning, in-house transportation and warehousing may pose a great risk to the life of employees. Employers across the globe are complying with occupational health & safety standards to avoid workplace fatalities. Growth in the food sector is anticipated to drive PPE demand in the near future.

Regional Insights

Europe personal protective equipment market emerged as the largest regional segment in 2015 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 6% from 2016 to 2024. Rising concern towards occupational hazards along with the need for protective gears in most of the primary industries including metal manufacturing, automotive and oil & gas refining is expected to drive demand over the forecast period.

Growing manufacturing, automobile, and transportation industry in Germany coupled with increasing awareness towards occupational health & safety are expected to drive the PPE market over the foreseeable future.

North America is expected to account for over 29% of the total PPE market share by 2024. Regulatory bodies such as ANSI, OSHA, and CSA have issued strict regulations concerning occupational safety & health across several end-use sectors in the region. These stern norms have urged various industries including mining, fire services & emergency response, healthcare, and military forces to adopt personal protective equipment usage in their workplaces.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period, owing to the increasing PPE requirement in manufacturing and construction industries. Some of the leading countries in these sectors include Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and China. Favourable initiatives such as incentives and tax rebates for domestic manufacturing and construction companies are expected to drive these industries over the long term.

In India, growing concern towards compensation costs owing to increasing injury cases in various industries including transportation, chemicals, and manufacturing is expected to urge employers to adopt workplace safety regulations. Personal protective equipment such as the air purifying respirator, safety helmets, and durable gloves have witnessed increasing demand in underground mining, steel, oil & gas, and chemical industries over the past few years.

Personal Protective Equipment Market Share Insights

The global industry is highly competitive with top five companies accounting for approximately 50% of the total personal protective equipment market share in 2015. Honeywell emerged as the top manufacturer with a total share of over 21% of the global revenue in 2015. The company has been continually involved in R&D to develop innovative products.

Other companies in global PPE industry include 3M, Ansell, Alpha Pro Tech Ltd., DuPont, MSA Safety, and Lindstrom. Majority of the market players are involved in R&D of innovative products that offer comfort and safety to the users. In March 2014, 3M announced the launch of high altitude welding protection. This was aimed to provide continuous filtered air to workers working at high altitude.

Report Scope

Segments covered in the report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis of the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2024. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global personal protective equipment market report on the basis of product, end-use and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2024)

  • Head, Eye and Face Protection

  • Hearing Protection

  • Protective Clothing

    • Heat & flame protection

    • Chemical defending

    • Clean room clothing

    • Mechanical protective clothing

    • Limited general use

    • Others

  • Respiratory Protection

    • Air-purifying respirator

    • Supplied air respirators

  • Protective Footwear

    • Leather

    • Rubber

    • PVC

    • Polyurethane

    • Others

  • Fall Protection

  • Hand Protection

    • Disposable gloves

      • By type

        • General purpose

        • Chemical handling

        • Sterile gloves

        • Surgical

        • Others

      • By material

        • Natural rubber

        • Nitrile gloves

        • Neoprene

        • Vinyl gloves

        • Others

    • Durable gloves

      • Mechanical gloves

      • Chemical handling

      • Thermal/flame retardant

      • Others

    • Others

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2024)

  • Construction

  • Manufacturing

  • Oil & Gas

  • Chemicals

  • Food

  • Pharmaceuticals

  • Transportation

  • Mining

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2024)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • France

    • Russia

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • South Korea

    • Indonesia

    • Australia

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE

  • Africa