Personal Protective Equipment

Definition and scope

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to

protective clothing and devices worn by workers to
prevent injury
 Protecting Employees
from Workplace Hazards

• Employers must protect employees from workplace hazards

such as machines, hazardous substances, and dangerous
work procedures that can cause injury

• Employers must:
 Use all feasible engineering and work practice controls to
eliminate and reduce hazards
 Then use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
if these controls do not eliminate the hazards
 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
Engineering Controls

If . . .

The machine or work environment can be physically

changed to prevent employee exposure to the
potential hazard,

Then . . .

The hazard can be eliminated with an engineering

control.
Engineering Controls

Examples . . .

• Initial design specifications

• Substitute less harmful material
• Change process
• Enclose process
• Isolate process
• Ventilation
Work Practice Controls

If . . .
Employees can be removed from exposure to the
potential hazard by changing the way they do their
jobs,

Then . . .
The hazard can be eliminated with a work practice
control.
Work Practice Controls

Examples . . .

• Use of wet methods to suppress dust

• Personal hygiene
• Housekeeping and maintenance
• Job rotation of workers
OSHA PPE Standards

1910.132, General Requirements

 PPE must be provided, used, and maintained in a

sanitary and reliable condition "wherever it is
necessary by reason of hazards . . . capable of
causing injury or impairment . . ..“
 Employers are responsible for employee-owned
equipment.
 PPE must be of safe design and construction
 Defective or damaged PPE shall not be used
OSHA PPE Standards
1910.132, General Requirements

Employers must assess the workplace to evaluate hazards that

require the use of PPE

 Select and require the use of appropriate PPE

 Inform affected employees of selection decisions

OSHA PPE Standards
1910.132, General Requirements

PPE training:
each employee required to use PPE must be trained:
When PPE is necessary
 What PPE is necessary
 How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE
 PPE limitations
 Care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE
 Examples of PPE

• Eye - safety glasses, goggles

• Face - face shields
• Head - hard hats
• Feet - safety shoes
• Hands and arms - gloves
• Bodies - vests
• Hearing - earplugs, earmuffs
OSHA PPE Standards
 Other OSHA PPE Standards
 1910.133, Eye and Face Protection
 1910.134, Respiratory Protection
 1910.135, Head Protection
 1910.136, Occupational Foot Protection
 1910.137, Electrical protective devices
 1910.138, Hand Protection
 ANSI standards have a significant role
Establishing a PPE Program

• Sets out procedures for selecting, providing and using PPE

as part of an employer’s routine operation
• First -- assess the workplace to determine if hazards are
present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the
use of PPE
• Once the proper PPE has been selected, the employer
must provide training to each employee who is required to
use PPE
Eye protection
Eye protection

1910.133, Eye and Face Protection

 Side protection when hazard from flying objects
 Prescription eye protection or devices must fit over
glasses for employees who wear glasses
 Eye and face PPE shall be distinctly marked
 Lenses for protection against radiant energy must have
an appropriate shade number for the work being
performed
Eye and face protection
 Additional ANSI requirements
 Testing
 Normal, high velocity and high mass impact,
penetration (plastic)
 Corrosion and flammability resistance
 Cleanability
 Optical criteria
 Minimum thickness
What are some of the
causes of eye injuries?
• Dust and other flying particles, such as metal
shavings or sawdust
• Molten metal that might splash
• Acids and other caustic liquid chemicals that might
splash
• Blood and other potentially infectious body fluids
that might splash, spray, or splatter
• Intense light such as that created by welding and
lasers
Goggles

• Protect eyes, eye sockets, and the facial area immediately

surrounding the eyes from impact, dust, and splashes
• Some goggles fit over corrective lenses
Welding Shields

Protect eyes from burns caused by infrared or intense

radiant light, and protect face and eyes from flying
sparks, metal spatter, and slag chips produced during
welding, brazing, soldering, and cutting
Face Shields

• Protect the face from nuisance dusts and potential

splashes or sprays of hazardous liquids
• Do not protect employees from impact hazards
Head Protection
Head Protection
1910.135, Head Protection

 Employees must wear appropriate protective

helmets in areas of falling object hazards or
exposed electrical conductors

 Protective helmets must comply with ANSI

Z89.1-1986, "American National Standard for
Personnel Protection-Protective Headwear for
Industrial Workers-Requirements,"
Head Protection
ANSI Z89.1 (cont.)

 Classifications of head protection

 Type I – impact on top only
 Type II – top or off-center impact
 Class G - limited voltages
 Class E - high voltages
 Class C - no voltage protection
 Inspection and maintenance
What are some of the
causes of head injuries?

• Falling objects
• Bumping head against fixed objects, such as exposed pipes
or beams
• Contact with exposed electrical conductors
Classes of Hard Hats

Class A
• General service (e.g., mining, building construction, shipbuilding,
lumbering, and manufacturing)
• Good impact protection but limited voltage protection
Class B
• Electrical work
• Protect against falling objects and high-voltage shock and burns
Class C
• Designed for comfort, offer limited protection
• Protects heads that may bump against fixed objects, but do not
protect against falling objects or electrical shock
Hearing Protection
1910.95 requires hearing protection for employees exposed
above 85 dB

 Hearing protectors are labeled with the NRR (noise reduction

rating).
Foot Protection
Toe and foot injuries account for 5% of all disabling
workplace injuries. Workers not wearing safety
shoes have 75% of all occupational foot injuries
Foot Protection
 1910.136, Occupational Foot Protection
 Employees must wear protective footwear in areas in
danger of foot injuries
 falling or rolling objects
 objects piercing the sole
 electrical hazards
 Protective footwear shall comply with ANSI Z41-1991,
"American National Standard for Personal Protection-
Protective Footwear"
Foot Protection
Requirements of ANSI Z41
 Footwear classified by impact and compression
resistance
 Special footwear types
 Metatarsal (protects top of foot)
 Conductive (primarily for static electricity
control)
 Electrical hazard (insulated)
 Sole puncture resistance
What are some of the
causes of foot injuries?

• 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 the soles or uppers of ordinary shoes
• Molten metal that might splash on feet
• Hot or wet surfaces
• Slippery surfaces
 Hand Protection

Hand and finger injuries account for 18% of all disabling injuries and
about 25% of all industrial work place accidents
Hand Protection
1910.138, Hand Protection
Employees must use appropriate hand protection when hands
are exposed to hazards:

 skin absorption of harmful substances

 severe cuts or lacerations
 severe abrasions
 Punctures
 chemical burns
 thermal burns
 harmful temperature extremes
Hand Protection

1910.138, Hand Protection (cont.)

Hand protection must be selected in accord with an

evaluation of:

 performance characteristics
 conditions present

 duration of use

 hazards and potential hazards identified

What are some of the hand injuries you need to
guard against?

• Burns
• Bruises
• Abrasions
• Cuts
• Punctures
• Fractures
• Amputations
• Chemical Exposures
Types of Gloves

Norfoil laminate resists

permeation and
breakthrough by an array of
toxic/hazardous chemicals.

Butyl provides the highest

permeation resistance to gas
or water vapors; frequently
used for ketones (M.E.K.,
Acetone) and esters (Amyl
Acetate, Ethyl Acetate).
Types of Gloves (cont’d)
Viton is highly resistant to
permeation by chlorinated and
aromatic solvents.

Nitrile provides protection

against a wide variety of
solvents, harsh chemicals, fats
and petroleum products and
also provides excellent
resistance to cuts, snags,
punctures and abrasions.
Types of Gloves (cont’d)

Kevlar protects against

cuts, slashes, and abrasion.

Stainless steel mesh

protects against cuts and
lacerations.
Body Protection
What are some of the
causes of body injuries?

• Intense heat
• Splashes of hot metals and other hot liquids
• Impacts from tools, machinery, and materials
• Cuts
• Hazardous chemicals
• Contact with potentially infectious materials, like
blood
• Radiation
Body Protection
Criteria for Selection

 Provide protective clothing for parts of the body

exposed to possible injury
 Types of body protection:
 Vests
 Aprons
 Jackets
 Coveralls
 Full body suits