subject: Personal Protective Equipment on the Job [print this page] Personal Protective Equipment on the Job Personal Protective Equipment on the Job
Nearly all occupations in construction, industry, and chemical handling require personal protection equipment (PPE). Mandated by OSHA, personal protective equipment is necessary for reducing "exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective in reducing these exposures to acceptable levels." On the job, employers are responsible for determining if personal protective equipment is necessary and the types of equipment required.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 lists personal protective equipment standards for general industry and touches on equipment for ventilation, occupational noise exposure, hazardous waste, eye and face protection, respiratory protection, foot protection, electrical protective devices, and hand protection. For example, 29 CFR 1910 specifies that employers need to see that workers have proper eye and face or side protection or appropriate prescription eyewear in any environment with flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustics, chemical gases or vapors, or light radiation. Similarly, 29 CFR 1910 specifies that employers, regarding head protection, must see that workers have the appropriate personal protective equipment for falling objects or electrical hazards. In this case, head protection must meet ANSI Z89.1-2003 standards.
Aside from specific equipment standards, 29 CFR 1910 lays out requirements for an employer regarding personal protective equipment. In general, personal protective equipment needs to be provided, used, and maintained and needs to be in a sanitary and reliable condition whenever needed. In the cases employees provide their own personal protective equipment, the employer is responsible for seeing that everyone has proper and reliable equipment for the job. "Reliable" equipment needs to have an appropriate design and construction for the tasks being performed.
In addition to providing reliable equipment, an employer is responsible for assessing workplace hazards, as personal protective equipment can only go so far. An employer needs to have the work area assessed for hazards and needs to verify it with a written certificate.
Because many industrial and construction jobs require personal protection equipment of some kind, 29 CFR 1910 specifies that an employer needs to provide training. The company needs to show workers when PPE is necessary, how to wear it, the limitations of PPE, and how to care for, maintain, and dispose of it.
