I'm with you Paul & Nelson, for the use of quality PPE. During the late 80's I subcontracted in Parks maintenance and the contracter hired an experienced chap who had no bridge on his nose and would not wear safety glasses. I told him HE HAD TO! He refused stating he didn't during the 8 1/2 years with his previous employer for whom the contractor was working. I presumed they let him go because of this as he was very good at his work. I compromised with him and stated that he could wear my "racing goggles" if he wanted to work. He couldn't believe how well they fitted his face and the "spongy material filled the void where he had no nose bridge. win win win!(except my financial cost but I had peace of mind about my work colleague's eyes). I knew a safety officer supervising over 600 staff safety and he lost an eye on his own yard . He missed one blade of grass and picked up the line trimmer & cut that one blade taking out his eye: he had forgotten he had removed his PPE.
Interestingly, in 1999 I found employment with a local goverment and had to sign an agreement(after passing the medical including eyes & hearing) that stated Ithey would own any invention I made while working there=very ambiguous relative as to what invention. I continually complained about the quality of the ear plugs they allocated and eventually used my own quality muffs for protection. After others complained also, the ear tests were done again and mine had deteriated in the four years. They brushed off the matter suggesting my out of work hours work may have caused the decline or my muffs may have been faulty.

The best protection is the minimum in my humble opinion so don't settle for second best.

Regards,
Ranald