6 ways to automate PPE condition checks

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where the manager runs the check themselves and wants the paper checklist on a phone.

What it is: A PPE condition check confirms protective equipment is fit to use. This version is the tick-list of 10 checks, a pass/fail result, and a notes field. It runs through the PPE in use, gloves, aprons, eye protection, footwear, and whatever your tasks require, checking each is present, clean, the right size, undamaged, and stored properly.

In practice: A single-site kitchen checks its PPE weekly. The supervisor works through the cut-resistant gloves, oven gloves, and goggles, marks pass or fail, notes a torn cut glove to replace, and the check is logged.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so the check covers each item the same way, and the notes field flags the worn or missing item that would otherwise be used anyway because nobody recorded it.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the check is delegated to whoever is on the rota.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note at the top: PPE only protects if it matches the task, fits the wearer, and is in good condition, so check each item against what the job actually requires and replace anything worn, torn, contaminated, or past its life rather than letting it stay in use.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. The match-to-the-task principle is spelled out, not assumed
2. Staff know damaged PPE should be replaced, not used carefully
3. The check is consistent whoever runs it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the checklist, so a new starter knows what good PPE looks like and when to pull an item from use.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (match the task, replace worn items)
• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Venues where each check needs a name against it. Groups where you want to know who signed off each site's check, and single sites where a different person might do the check.

What it is: A signed PPE check is the simple checklist plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 10 checks, pass/fail, and notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the check and when they signed it.

In practice: A venue with a rotating rota. Whoever does the PPE check works through the 10 items, notes any damaged equipment, and signs. The next day the manager knows exactly who to ask about the note, not just that someone left one.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the check, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the check was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the check finishes, not from memory later. When damaged PPE is found in use after a check, the conversation starts with who signed it off, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Venues that want proof the PPE was checked and serviceable, not just a ticked list.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a photo of the single PPE item you're most worried about, taken on completion, as a record of the checked item alongside the ticks.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the single item you're most worried about, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an inspector, not just a ticked box
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the state the PPE was actually in, not just that someone said it was checked.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the item of most concern

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Venues where PPE photos get taken but nobody reviews them. Multi-site groups where head office can't look at every site's photos.

What it is: A photo-checked PPE condition is the simple checklist plus a closing photo of the single item you're most worried about that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about the image, set by you: Does the photo clearly show the condition of that one PPE item, including any wear, fraying or damage? If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets sorted before everyone leaves.

In practice: A five-site catering company checks PPE weekly across all kitchens. Each site identifies the one item it's most concerned about and photographs it. At site one that's the cut-resistant gloves (used constantly and prone to wear). Poppi reads each glove photo: intact, no fraying, serviceable. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a busy Friday the photo at site three shows fraying on the fingertips of the cut gloves. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The photo shows fraying on the glove fingertips that needs replacement"). The manager at site three replaces the gloves and retakes the photo while still at the location.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the single item you're most worried about that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at PPE photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the person leaving. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next day can only record that the PPE was faulty; Poppi catching it at check time gets it replaced before the next shift.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the item of most concern
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With an alert if the check is overdue

Who it's for: Venues with a set deadline for PPE checks. Those with rotating staff where a check can easily slip, and multi-site groups where head office needs confirmation all sites have checked on schedule.

What it is: An overdue-alert PPE check is the simple checklist plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the check's deadline. If the check isn't finished by the deadline, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the check gets done before the shift ends. It watches the deadline, so it catches the check that quietly got forgotten, not just the one that was skipped.

In practice: A busy fast-casual kitchen checks PPE at the start of each shift and needs it done by 9am before service starts. On a hectic Monday the opening manager forgets the check while dealing with a staff absence. With this version, if the check isn't finished by 9am, the team chat gets a message, so the shift lead does it before the first orders arrive, rather than the manager discovering faulty PPE mid-service.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A message in the team chat if the check isn't finished on time
2. A catch for the check that got forgotten or abandoned, not just the one that was skipped
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out that same shift, not from a later audit

Why it works: The alert is tied to the check deadline, so an unfinished check raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the deadline does.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (10 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the check isn't finished by deadline)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple checklist plus one addition, so pick the additions your venue actually needs.

Do other people run the check?

If you check yourself and know what each item should look like, the plain list is enough: #1. The moment rota staff do it, the guidance needs to be on the screen: #2.

Does the check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof, #4 adds a photo of the single item you're most worried about.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the check have to be finished by a set time?

If a rotating team sometimes misses the check, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the deadline passes with the check unfinished.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same list.

Related workflows

• Workplace safety walk - the wider hazard walk PPE is part of
• First aid kit check - keeping the first aid kit ready
• Ladder and step check - checking access equipment

Conclusion

PPE is the last line of protection, and worn or wrong PPE gives a false sense of safety that only shows up in an injury. A recorded check turns its condition into something you can prove. Every version above is the same simple check plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your venue needs and combine them in the playground.

More additions are coming in future refreshes, like pulling every site's checks into one report. Those need more review time and will land separately.

→ Build your own PPE condition check on Pilla.