Personal Protective Equipment

1
Personal Protective Equipment
2
Protecting Employees from Workplace Hazards

• Employers must protect employees from hazards
  such as falling objects, harmful substances, and
  noise exposures that can cause injury
• Employers must
• Use all feasible engineering and work practice
  controls to eliminate and reduce hazards
• Use personal protective equipment (PPE) if the
  controls dont eliminate the hazards.
• PPE is the last level of control!

3
Engineering Controls
If . . . The work environment can be physically
changed to prevent employee exposure to the
potential hazard, Then . . . The hazard can be
eliminated with an engineering control
4
Engineering Controls
Examples . . .

• Initial design specifications (DESIGN)
• Substitute less harmful material (DESIGN)
• Change process
• Enclose process
• Isolate process
• Example Prefabrication of roof trusses on the
  ground then using a crane to lift into place.

5
Work Practice Controls
If . . . Employees can change the way they do
their jobs and the exposure to the potential
hazard is removed, Then . . . The hazard can be
eliminated with a work practice control
6
Work Practice Controls -- Examples
7
Responsibilities

• Employer
• Assess workplace for hazards
• Provide PPE
• Determine when to use
• Provide PPE training for employees and
  instruction in proper use

• Employee
• Use PPE in accordance with training received and
  other instructions
• Inspect daily and maintain in a clean and
  reliable condition

8
How Do You Assess the Hazards?

• Perform an activity hazard analysis (AHA) in
  writing.
• Share the AHA with the employees involved and
  their supervisors.
• Identify the PPEs required.

9
Examples of PPE
Body Part Protection
Eye safety glasses, goggles
Face face shields
Head hard hats
Feet safety shoes
Hands and arms gloves
Bodies vests
Hearing earplugs, earmuffs
10
Head Protection
11
Causes of Head Injuries

• Falling objects such as tools
• Bumping head against objects, such as pipes or
  beams
• Contact with exposed electrical wiring or
  components

12
Eye Protection
13
When must Eye Protection be Provided?

• When any of these hazards are present
• Dust and other flying particles, such as metal
  shavings or sawdust
• Corrosive gases, vapors, and liquids
• Molten metal that may splash
• Potentially infectious materials such as blood or
  hazardous liquid chemicals that may splash
• Intense light from welding and lasers

14
Eye Protection for EmployeesWho Wear Eyeglasses

• Ordinary glasses do not provide the required
  protection
• Proper choices include
• Prescription glasses with side shields and
  protective lenses
• Goggles that fit comfortably over corrective
  glasses without disturbing the glasses
• Goggles that incorporate corrective lenses
  mounted behind protective lenses

15
Safety Glasses

• Made with metal/plastic safety frames
• Most operations require side shields
• Used for moderate impact from particles produced
  by jobs such as carpentry, woodworking, grinding,
  and scaling

16
Goggles

• Protects eyes and area around the eyes from
  impact, dust, and splashes
• Some goggles fit over corrective lenses

17
Hearing Protection
18
Hearing Protection

• When its not feasible to reduce the noise or
• its duration use ear
• protective devices
• Ear protective devices
• must be fitted

19
Foot Protection
20
When Must Foot Protection be Provided?

• When any of these are present
• Heavy objects such as barrels or tools that might
  roll onto or fall on employees feet
• Sharp objects such as nails or spikes that might
  pierce ordinary shoes
• Molten metal that might splash on feet
• Hot or wet surfaces
• Slippery surfaces

21
Safety Shoes

• Impact-resistant toes and heat-resistant soles
  protect against hot surfaces common in roofing
  and paving
• Some have metal insoles to protect against
  puncture wounds
• May be electrically conductive for use in
  explosive atmospheres, or nonconductive to
  protect from workplace electrical hazards

22
Summary
Employers must implement a PPE program where they

• Assess the workplace for hazards
• Use engineering and work practice controls to
  eliminate or reduce hazards before using PPE
• Select appropriate PPE to protect employees from
  hazards that cannot be eliminated
• Inform employees why the PPE is necessary, how
  and when it must be worn
• Train employees how to use and care for their
  PPE, including how to recognize deterioration and
  failure
• Require employees to wear selected PPE

23
New Regulations

• Safety vests for construction.

24
EM385-1-1 30 April 2007

• 05.A.11 High-Visibility Apparel
• a. High-visibility apparel meeting, as a minimum,
  ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 Performance Class 2
  requirements, shall be worn by workers (such as,
  but not limited to, signalpersons, spotters,
  survey crews and inspectors) whenever
• (1) Workers are exposed to vehicular or equipment
  traffic in excess of 25 mph (40.2 kph),
• (2) There is limited visibility of workers
  exposed to heavy equipment operations, vehicles,
  load handling, or other hazardous activities due
  to weather conditions, illumination, or visually
  complex backgrounds,
• (3) Workers are involved in activities in close
  proximity to vehicular traffic,
• (4) Workers are performing tasks which divert
  attention from approaching vehicular traffic.
• b. For occupational activities where risk levels
  exceed those in paragraph 05.A.11.a.(1) (4)
  above, Class 3 or higher apparel shall be used
  (determination is based on risk assessment by
  SSHO).
• c. The apparel background material color shall be
  either fluorescent yellow-green or fluorescent
  orange-red, as per ANSI/ISEA 107-2004.

25
High Visibility Vests
26
Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions
about ANSI/ISEA 107-1999

• Is this a new law?ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 is a
  voluntary industry consensus standard. Until the
  publication of this document, there was no
  uniform, authoritative guide for the design,
  performance specifications, and use of
  high-visibility and reflective apparel in the
  United States.  It represents what the industry
  and users view as necessary to adequately protect
  workers from the hazards associated with low
  visibility.
• Does OSHA know about this?  What is their
  position?In its regulation 29 CFR 1926.651(d),
  OSHA sets forth requirements for workers who are
  exposed to vehicular traffic.  OSHA states that
  "employees exposed to public vehicular traffic
  shall be provided with, and shall wear, warning
  vests or other suitable garments marked with or
  made of reflectorized or high-visibility
  material."  OSHA refers to ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 as
  a way for employers to comply with the
  requirement to provide enhanced visibility
  garments.
• In addition, under the OSHA General Duty Clause
  (29 CFR 1903.1), OSHA requires that every
  employer furnish "employment and a place of
  employment which are free from recognized hazards
  that are causing or are likely to cause death or
  serious physical harm..."

27
Current OSHA regulation

• 1926.651(d)
• Exposure to vehicular traffic. Employees exposed
  to public vehicular traffic shall be provided
  with, and shall wear, warning vests or other
  suitable garments marked with or made of
  reflectorized or high-visibility material.

28
Federal Highway Administration

• On November 24, 2006 FHWA published the final
  rule on worker visibility, requiring the use of
  high-visibility safety apparel by workers who are
  working within the rights-of-way of Federal-aid
  highways.
• On September 4, 2008, the National Work Zone
  Safety Information Clearinghouse held a webinar
  on the new FHWA Worker Visibility regulation that
  takes effect November 24, 2008. Speakers were
  Hari Kalla, MUTCD Team Leader for FHWA's Office
  of Operations, and Janice Bradley, Technical
  Director of the International Safety Equipment
  Association.