Keeping the Engine of Our Economy Safe
Our workers are the engine of the U.S. economy. The PPE and safety equipment proudly protects over 125,000,000 workers in the U.S., supports 350,000 jobs, and generates $72B of economic activity.
Our industry directly employs 130,000 workers and pays state and federal taxes of $9B.

Protecting Workers in Every Industry
Workers in nearly every sector of the $26.95 trillion U.S. economy rely on high-quality PPE and safety equipment to ensure they are protected on the job and able to return home safe at the end of their shift. Click on each protection category below to see how many workers our industry protects in critical industries.
Ergonomics includes Knee Pads, Back Belts, and Fatigue Mats.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 124,040 |
Mining | 566,640 |
Transportation | 1,807,170 |
Construction | 8,923,870 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 4,661,820 |
Services | 30,616,010 |
Retail & Wholesale | 6,030,960 |
Medical | 10,850,140 |
Misc. | 2,929,000 |
Government | 4,770,740 |
Total Workers Protected | 71,280,390 |
Eye & Face Protection includes Medical Face Masks, Safety Goggles, Safety Spectacles, Face Shields, and Welding Helmets.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 756,360 |
Mining | 566,640 |
Transportation | 1,153,310 |
Construction | 10,111,320 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 4,818,540 |
Services | 17,202,650 |
Retail & Wholesale | 3,262,480 |
Medical | 22,361,110 |
Misc. | 2,154,380 |
Government | 7,216,880 |
Total Workers Protected | 69,358,370 |
Fall Protection includes Harnesses, Climber straps/pads/footplates, Body belts,
Saddles, Lanyards, Arrest systems, Walkway surface slip prevention,
Window fall prevention, and Dropped object solutions.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 756,360 |
Mining | 566,640 |
Transportation | 1,153,310 |
Construction | 10,111,320 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 4,818,540 |
Services | 17,202,650 |
Retail & Wholesale | 3,262,480 |
Medical | 22,361,110 |
Misc. | 2,154,380 |
Government | 7,216,880 |
Total Workers Protected | 69,358,370 |
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 415,580 |
Mining | 323,070 |
Transportation | 924,070 |
Construction | 10,979,070 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 1,135,320 |
Services | 13,488,170 |
Retail & Wholesale | 4,121,500 |
Medical | 859,000 |
Misc. | 261,130 |
Government | 2,877,120 |
Total Workers Protected | 35,384,030 |
General Safety includes Safety labels and decals, Safety signs and labels,
Safety tags and tape, Emergency Showers, Emergency Eye/Face Washes, First Aid Kits, and Gas Detection Equipment.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 418,410 |
Mining | 799,260 |
Transportation | 1,778,030 |
Construction | 10,636,260 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 5,221,050 |
Services | 38,278,710 |
Retail & Wholesale | 4,607,760 |
Medical | 23,681,420 |
Misc. | 2,577,460 |
Government | 6,555,000 |
Total Workers Protected | 94,553,360 |
Head Protection includes Protective helmets, hard hats, bump caps, and protection against electrical arc.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 361,910 |
Mining | 669,140 |
Transportation | 1,100,970 |
Construction | 10,295,550 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 2,681,670 |
Services | 9,099,160 |
Retail & Wholesale | 2,702,310 |
Medical | 610,960 |
Misc. | 1,358,310 |
Government | 4,413,220 |
Total Workers Protected | 33,294,990 |
Hand Protection includes Gloves (vibration reduction), Insulating gloves and mittens, Surgical gloves, Examination gloves, Impact resistant gloves, mechanical protective, chemical protective and miscellaneous gloves.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 433,180 |
Mining | 925,550 |
Transportation | 2,205,630 |
Construction | 11,144,800 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 6,010,950 |
Services | 39,905,000 |
Retail & Wholesale | 7,287,130 |
Medical | 24,910,300 |
Misc. | 3,564,760 |
Government | 7,355,400 |
Total Workers Protected | 103,742,700 |
Hearing Protection includes Earplugs, Earmuffs, Headsets, Communication Headsets
and other sound attenuation devices.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 366,760 |
Mining | 787,030 |
Transportation | 1,548,930 |
Construction | 10,115,050 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 5,079,820 |
Services | 10,141,760 |
Retail & Wholesale | 3,502,890 |
Medical | 1,031,000 |
Misc. | 1,906,540 |
Government | 5,609,520 |
Total Workers Protected | 40,089,300 |
Heat Stress Solutions includes all cooling solutions, including cooling towels, phase change vests, etc.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 434,460 |
Mining | 1,010,010 |
Transportation | 6,655,990 |
Construction | 11,618,760 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 13,019,420 |
Services | 8,797,110 |
Retail & Wholesale | 3,262,480 |
Medical | 2,318,230 |
Misc. | 3,063,790 |
Government | 5,092,130 |
Total Workers Protected | 92,276,000 |
Respiratory Protection includes disposable filtering facepiece masks, half-mask or full-facepiece air-purifying respirators, powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs), supplied-air respirators and hoods, and self-contained breathing apparatus.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 316,150 |
Mining | 541,980 |
Transportation | 457,390 |
Construction | 8,678,200 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 3,185,930 |
Services | 13,165,930 |
Retail & Wholesale | 1,922,620 |
Medical | 13,541,280 |
Misc. | 1,110,920 |
Government | 6,118,250 |
Total Workers Protected | 48,953,470 |
Protective Apparel includes Flame/arc resistant clothing, Vapor protective ensembles, Liquid splash protective ensembles, Insulating sleeves, Sleeves and Hoods, Encapsulating, Aprons, Lab Coats, Coveralls, Clean room garments and sterile garments, Frocks, Nuclear protective clothing, Chainsaw leg protection,
High visibility vests, and Cold work garments.
Industry | Workers Protected |
---|---|
Agriculture | 417,030 |
Mining | 1,002,430 |
Transportation | 2,401,590 |
Construction | 10,961,310 |
Manufacturing & Energy | 5,096,770 |
Services | 40,011,980 |
Retail & Wholesale | 5,805,120 |
Medical | 25,353,740 |
Misc. | 2,680,690 |
Government | 8,263,240 |
Total Workers Protected | 101,993,900 |
Impact by State & Congressional District

Use the interactive map below for a state and congressional district level snapshot of:
- Workers protected by industry & protection category
- Jobs created & wages paid
- Economic impact created
- Taxes paid
Workers Protected
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From hardhats and respirators to ergonomics and anti-fatigue mats, millions of Americans rely on safety equipment to get their jobs done without injury or discomfort.
- 6.3M Manufacturing Workers
- 25.7M Medical Workers
- 42.9M Service Workers
- 11.6M Construction Workers
- 8.8M Government Workers
JOBS CREATED
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The manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing of safety equipment, as well as industries linked through the supply chain and induced spending, create jobs all across the economy.
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TAXES PAID
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Businesses that manufacture, distribute, and sell safety products, as well as all businesses linked through supplier and induced impacts, pay taxes to both the state and federal governments.
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WAGES
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Total wages, including benefits, paid to workers in the safety industry and its suppliers, as well as those supported by the induced impact.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT
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The overall measure of the impact of the safety equipment industry in the greater economy. For manufacturers, output is given by gross sales, but for sectors like wholesaling and retailing it similar to gross margins.
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