OSHA requires employers to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective. Examples of PPE are respirators, gloves, aprons, fall protection, and full body suits, as well as head, eye and foot protection. PPE does not reduce the hazard itself nor does it guarantee permanent or total protection.

If PPE is to be used to reduce the exposure of employees to hazards, a PPE program should be initialized and maintained. Employers are required to determine all exposures to hazards in their workplace and determine if PPE should be used to protect their workers. This program should contain identification and evaluation of hazards in the workplace and if use of PPE is an appropriate control measure; if PPE is to be used, how it is selected, maintained and its use evaluated; training of employees using the PPE; and vigilance of the program to determine its effectiveness in preventing employee injury or illness.

What is the role of PPE?

Hazards exist in every workplace so protecting workers is essential. Eliminating the hazard should be the top priority in this process because this method will remove it from the workplace altogether or isolate it from the worker. This approach may require substitution of a material with non-hazardous ones, isolation of hazards, addition of safety features to existing equipment, redesign of the work processes, or purchase of new equipment. When the hazard cannot be removed or controlled adequately, PPE must be used if the work process is to continue.

 

A hazard cannot be eliminated by PPE, but the risk of injury can be eliminated or greatly reduced. For example, wearing hearing protection reduces the likelihood of hearing damage when the ear plugs or muffs are appropriate for the kind of noise exposure and they are used properly. However, hearing protection does not eliminate the noise.

 

PPE should only be used:

·          As an interim (short term) measure before controls are implemented

·          During activities such as maintenance, clean up, and repair where pre-contact controls are not feasible or effective, and

·          During emergency situations.

 

How do I begin planning a protection strategy?

Before any decision is made to begin or to expand a PPE program, it is important to understand the underlying principles of protection strategies.

 

There are three elements that must be considered:

·          Worker protection

·          Compliance with laws, regulations, and internal company standards

·          Feasibility

 

In practice, only a few strategies are available to reduce hazards. These include:

·          Material substitution

·          Process change

·          Engineering controls

·          Equipment change

·          Administrative controls

·          Revised work practices

·          Use of personal protective equipment

 

A good comprehensive strategy considers the hazards, evaluates all possible control methods, integrates various approaches, and reexamines them frequently to ensure a safe work operation. It does these things by requiring that conscious decision-making, evaluation, and reevaluation be done at various stages throughout the program.

 

How do I design a PPE program?

A PPE program must be comprehensive. It requires commitment and active participation at the planning, development, and implementation stages from all levels: senior management, supervisors, and workers. A good PPE program consists of these essential elements:

·          Workplace survey

·          Selection of appropriate controls

·          Selection of appropriate PPE

·          Fitting

·          Training

·          Management support

·          Maintenance

·          Auditing of the program

 

The protection provided will be dramatically reduced if workers remove the PPE for even short periods of time. The loss of protection during the periods when the PPE is not worn may easily outweigh the protection when it is used.

Hofman Safety and Industrial Hygiene Consulting, Inc.

Personal Protective Equipment