Strategies to improve compliance with personal protective equipment use in the textile industry: a scoping review

Background: Compliance with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for protecting workers from occupational hazards and accidents, particularly in the textile industry. However, achieving consistent PPE compliance remains a significant challenge in many countries. This study aims to review strategies designed to enhance PPE compliance among textile industry workers. Methods: We applied a scoping review methodology. Systematic searches were conducted across six databases: PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, EBSCO Medline, and SAGE Journals. Five articles met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. We focused on strategy types and reported outcomes when extracting the data. We did not conduct a quality appraisal of individual studies in accordance with the scoping review methodology. The review is registered on the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/U3YAH). Results: Among the five included studies, only one employed an interventional design, demonstrating that an educational program improved knowledge, attitudes, and PPE compliance. The remaining four studies were observational in nature, identifying influential factors and recommending strategies such as training and adequate PPE provision. However, the contextual variability and observational designs limit the generalizability of the findings. Conclusions: This review highlights the limited availability of interventional studies on PPE compliance in the textile sector. Nevertheless, observational studies have identified commonly recommended approaches, such as training and workplace improvements, which warrant further evaluation. Future research should prioritize intervention studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies. © The Author(s) 2025.