Industry Impact

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

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

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

Facility Safety

Facility 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

Fall Protection

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	65,660
Mining	508,390
Transportation	976,680
Construction	7,834,460
Manufacturing & Energy	2,224,620
Services	18,151,330
Retail & Wholesale	1,237,970
Medical	9,045,140
Misc.	940,180
Government	4,117,510
Total Workers Protected	45,162,940

Foot Protection

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

Head Protection

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

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

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

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

Protective Apparel

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

Respiratory Protection

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

Workers Protected by Industry and Occupation

Workers in nearly every industry and occupation in the United States rely on high-quality PPE and safety equipment to ensure they are protected.

ISEA members can dive deeper into the data to see how many workers are protected by each category of PPE and safety equipment by industry or occupation.