Is it acceptable for multiple workers to share, rubber gloves, meters, hard hats with faceshield, arc rated clothing, etc.?

Sure. A common sense approach around hygiene is, of course, prudent. No one wants or should be expected to climb into a sweaty, smelly flash suit. Have the gear cleaned regularly. Each worker should inspect the gear before each use.

Evaluate how long your folks would be spending in the PPE. If they're sharing to do 10 to 15 minute jobs here and there that's one thing. If they're in it full time, sharing obviously wouldn't make much sense...

We also had this discussion. We share the hard hats, face shield and arc-rated clothing (which is worn over our cotton standard daily wear). We do have a procedure for laundering arc-rated clothing and it is done on a as-needed basis.

However, we did draw the line with gloves. Each qualified electrical worker is issued 2 pair of rubber insulating gloves. This was done both for sanitary and safety concerns.

I think this practice makes sense. All our electricians are issued Cat2 faceshield, Class 0 gloves, Cat2 balaclava and meters. We also wear Cat2 uniforms. Any PPE above this level is shared and located in central locations around the mill. We also have Cat 2 faceshields w/balaclava and gloves staged at strategic locations.

Totally disagree. This is personal protective equipment. We do not share safety glasses, hearing protection, or safety footwear. Why do companies insist on sharing electrical specific PPE and clothing? Among hygiene issues, what about sizing. I have relatively small hands, would I be expected to wear the same gloves as a much bigger person? They would not feel comfortable and further likely be more of a hindrance and burden to wear. I could see perhaps a common arc flash suit for less than common activities such as applying grounds or verification of the absence of voltage using a hot stick and proximity tester (high voltage), however for every day use including a meter, my vote is each worker has their own and is responsible for it

And this is where things begin to go sideways. Remember that the EMPLOYER is ultimately responsible for the condition and use of the PPE. Your "vote" doesn't change that. When employees are allowed to manage their equipment inspections, cleanings, and calibrations, things tend to get out of compliance quickly.

The first P in PPE means Personal. This is a two-way street. The employer buys the gear and assigns it to an entity which could be a person, a location (station gear) a team or shift of workers, etc. If the employer doesn't issue gear to a person.... then who is responsible for making sure the gear is in usable condition? If a component comes up broken... who did it? Larger employers implement a tracking system that works some of the time, but I still get lots of people at the counter buying replacement faceshield lenses because "somebody" threw materials on top of the AR gearbag. Try to influence your employer to re-visit their fraternal need to make you share.