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Personal protective equipment, to include eye and face protection,
gloves, protective clothing, head protection, hearing protection,
protective footwear, and respiratory protection may be needed to
assure an employee is adequately protected from hazards associated
with the work they are doing. When personal protective equipment
is needed, it is required by regulation that a hazard assessment
be made to identify the specific hazards of concern and the PPE
required for protection from those hazards. This hazard assessment
may be done for a work area, or for a specific experiment, job,
or task. The protective equipment is selected based on the hazard
assessment. This assessment needs to be documented in writing. PPE
Hazard Assessment Form (PDF) and Respiratory Protection Equipment
Hazard Assessment Form can be used for this purpose.
All protective equipment has limitations and these limitations
must be taken into consideration when selecting the equipment for
a job, task, experiment, or project. For example, a chemical resistant
glove that cannot be penetrated by benzene may be readily penetrated
by methyl alcohol. For chemical work, selection of gloves is based
on the potential for significant contact, the specific chemical
or chemicals involved, and the skin hazards and skin exposure concerns
of those chemicals. Safety glasses with side shields will protect
against flying objects but will not be good for use when there are
irritating chemical vapors or when there is a high risk of chemical
splash. For these circumstances, a chemical goggle may be needed.
The addition of a faceshield may be warranted to protect the face
from chemical splash. A bump cap is good for walking in areas with
low hanging pipes but will not provide adequate protection against
objects falling from above. A hard hat is needed for protection
from falling objects.
After the hazard assessment is made and the appropriate personal
protective equipment is selected for a job, the employee must be
trained on the hazards, the protective equipment to be used, the
correct use and care of the equipment, and the limitations of the
equipment. This training should be job specific and is best provided
by the employee’s supervisor or area safety representative.
EHS is available to provide assistance with the hazard assessment
and the selection of appropriate PPE. EHS is also available to provide
assistance with developing training materials. Contact EHS at 2-EHSS
when assistance is needed.
For additional information on specific personal protective equipment
items, follow the links above.
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