Personal Protective Equipment in the Work Place

Many employers agree that protecting employees on the job is an important issue. Reduced workmans' compensation claims, fewer lost work days, and greater productivity are just some of the cost saving benefits in providing proper personal protective equipment. The following information is taken from the OSHA publication titled "Personal Protective Equipment".

To ensure the greatest possible protection for employees in the workplace, the cooperative efforts of both employers and employees will help in establishing and maintaining a safe and healthful work environment.

In general, employers are responsible for:

• Performing a "hazard assessment" of the workplace to identify and control physical and health hazards.
• Identifying and providing appropriate PPE for employees. *see note below
• Training employees in the use and care of the PPE.
• Maintaining PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE.
• Periodically reviewing, updating and evaluating the effectiveness of the PPE program.

In general, employees should:

• Properly wear PPE,
• Attend training sessions on PPE,
• Care for, clean and maintain PPE, and
• Inform a supervisor of the need to repair or replace PPE.

Specific requirements for PPE are presented in many different OSHA standards, published in 29 CFR. Some standards require that employers provide PPE at no cost to the employee while others simply state that the employer must provide PPE.

New OSHA Ruling concerning employer payment for PPE.

For more information on this and other OSHA standards, please visit the OSHA web site.

This article has been provided by 2bsafety.com in an effort to keep our clients informed about current issues. Please note that the above are our interpretations of the federal OSHA standard. Several states including California and Arizona operate their own OSHA approved occupational safety and health organizations. These states may adopt and enforce their own standards which may differ from the federal standards.