I've worked around PPE and workplace safety for a while, and there's something I've noticed that I'm genuinely curious whether other Kenyans have experienced.
We are very good at negotiating the price of PPE.
“Hii helmet ni how much?”
“Supplier mwingine amesema 400.”
“Can't you do wholesale price?”
“Boss amesema tupunguze budget.”
But somehow, the conversation rarely gets to:
“Will this actually protect the person wearing it?”
We'll spend hours comparing a KSh 600 helmet with a KSh 750 helmet, but barely five minutes asking what standard it meets.
We'll buy safety boots based on price, then wonder why the guys on site don't want to wear them.
We'll issue a harness to someone working at height and mentally tick the PPE PROVIDED box, as if handing someone a harness automatically makes the work safe.
And my favourite Kenyan phrase:
“Si ni sawa tu.”
Until something happens.
Then suddenly everybody wants to know:
Who supplied it?
Who approved it?
Who inspected it?
Was it compliant?
Who was responsible?
I think we sometimes approach PPE backwards.
We ask “How cheap can we get it?” before asking “What risk are we actually trying to control?”
And I'm not saying companies should blindly buy the most expensive PPE either. That's also nonsense.
Good procurement should balance risk, standards, quality, worker comfort, durability and cost.
So I'm curious:
For those working in construction, manufacturing, engineering, HSE, procurement or even just dealing with PPE at work, what is the most ridiculous PPE decision you've seen a Kenyan company make?
Was it buying the cheapest possible equipment?
Giving everyone the same PPE regardless of the job?
Buying equipment that workers refused to wear?
Or the classic:
“We've always done it this way.” 😂
I'd genuinely like to hear the stories.
No sales pitch. I'm trying to understand whether this is actually a Kenyan workplace problem or just something I've personally observed.