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. 

125 million workers are protected by PPE

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

$72 billion economic impact from PPE
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
Get the Nationwide Industry Impact Report