Personal protective equipment

Equipment that workers wear to protect themselves from hazards in their work environment are personal protective equipment’s (PPE’s)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or  others garment designed to protect the wearer’s body form injury by blunt impacts, electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infections, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes

EXAMPLES:

Hearing protection, respirators, hard hats, gloves, safety goggles, glasses, safety shoes etc

REGULATORY BACKGROUND

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA)

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RISK REDUCTION ACT OF 1994

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RISK REDUCTION PROGRAMME (PERRP)

29 CFR 1910 SUBPART 1

PURPOSE OF PPE

Personal protective equipment are designed to protect workers from serious workplace injuries or illnesses Resulting from contract with chemical , radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. Beside face shields , safety glasses , hard hats, and safety shoes, protective equipment includes a variety of devices and garments such as goggles, coveralls, gloves, vest, earplugs, and respiratory.

IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE )

When hazards cannot be eliminated thorough engineering and administrative control, PPE must be used to protect the eyes, face head, lungs, hands, arms, body and ears. Preventable injuries Bowling Green State  University (BGSU)

• ·         Chemical burns to the eyes
• ·         Chemical irritation to the eyes and skin
• ·         Particulate matter in the eye
• ·         Heat burns
• ·         Slips, trips, and falls
• ·         Cuts and abrasions

PERSONS INVOLVED

FOLLOWING ARE THE PERSONS INVOLVED  :-

• ·         OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH SPECIALIST
• ·         MANAGER ( DEPARTMENT CHAIRPERSONS AND DIRECTORS)
• ·         SUPERVISORS
• ·         EMPLOYEES

RESPONSIBILITES

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH SPECIALIST

Coordinating the PPE program ;

Assisting departments with hazard assessments

Analysis of injury / illness data, selection of PPE and training :

Considering and assisting  in the implementing of engineering controls for recognized hazards

Maintaining copies of hazard assessments, re assessments, and PPE selection documents.

MANAGEMENT

Supplying PPE employees at no cost

Providing employees with adequate training

SUPERVISOR

• ·         Attending the PPE1 training session offered by Environmental Health and Safety ;
• ·         Performing hazard assessment and re assessment ;
• ·         Fitting employees with PPE, issuing PPE, and providing the manufacturers instructions for use, care, documentation to environmental health and safety of hazard assessments and re assessment ;
• ·         Ensuring all employees are trained on the PPE program and it’s requirements
• ·         Maintaining records of hazards assessment , re assessment, training, retraining and PPE selection
• ·         Enforcing the PPE programme by ensuring  that all subordinates comply with all faces of BGSU’s program, including inspection and maintainance
• ·         Providing a copy of the PPE program to employees upon their request

EMPLOYEE

• ·         Attending the PPE2 training session offered by Environmental Health and Safety ;
• ·         Properly wearing, cleaning,maintaining,and inspecting all assigned PPE, according to the manufacturer’s instruction , and following the PPE program requirement
• ·         Returning all damaged PPE to their immediate supervisor, to receive a replacement and only using the PPE provided by the company

EMPLOYER

• ·         Monitor the PPE program
• ·         Provide proper PPE’s without any cost when required
• ·         Provide the resources for trainings regarding importance of PPE and their use
• ·         Ensure the implementation of PPE program
• ·         Establish the effect OHS committee for PPE’s

HAZARD ASSESSMENT USED TO DETERMINE HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE

IMPACT HAZARDS	Falling objects or potential for dropping objects
penetration hazards	Objects or machinery that may cause punctures, cuts or abrasions
Compression hazards	Machinery/heavy objects that may roll over and crush or pinch feet
Chemical hazards	Chemical exposures from inhalation or contact with the skin and eyes
Heat hazards	Hot work areas and sources of high temperature that could result in burns , eye injury ,or ignition of PPE
Harmful dust	Dust from sandblasting, sawing, grinding, other generation of airborne dust
Optical radiation	Sources of light radiation (welding, cutting, lasers, high intensity lights)
Noise hazards	Excessive noise ( louder than a hair dryer)
Electrical hazards	Due to electricity ( electric shock)
others	There are many other hazard related to workplace

ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER IN THE  REASSESSMENT

Element to consider in the reassessment include :-

Effectiveness of PPE program

Injury and illness experience

Levels of exposure

Adequacy of equipment selection

Number of hour’s workers wear various PPE

Adequacy of training / fitting of PPE

Program costs

The adequacy of program records

Coordination with overall safety and health program

New equipment and / or processes

OSHA REGULATION (PPEs)

You must also train workers who are required to wear personal protective equipment on how to do the following  :

Use protective equipment properly

Be aware of when personal protective equipment Is necessary

Know what kind of protective equipment is necessary

Understand the limitations of personal protective equipment in protecting workers from injury

Put on, adjust, wear, and take off personal protective equipment and maintain protective equipment properly

OSHA REQUIREMENT FOR PPE

ENGINEERING CONTROL IS INEFFECTIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL IS NOT ENOUGH