1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 29CFR1910 Subpart I
Welcome to this Overview of Personal Protective Equipment training.

2. This material was produced under grant number 46B4-HT15 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
This material was produced under grant number 46B4-HT15 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE includes all clothing and work accessories designed to protect employees from workplace hazards. Protective equipment should not replace engineering, administrative, or procedural controls for safety; it should be used in conjunction with these controls.
What is PPE? Personal Protective Equipment or PPE are protective items such as clothing and work accessories that are designed to protect employees from workplace hazards. Protective equipment should not replace engineering, administrative, or procedural controls for safety; it should be used in conjunction with these controls. PPE is generally considered the last line of defense to protect an employee from a hazard that could cause injury or physical harm.

4. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
PPE includes the following:
Eye Protection
Face Shields
Head Protection
Hand and Extremity Protective Equipment
Protective Clothing
Respiratory Devices
Noise and Hearing Protectors, and
Protective Shields and Barriers
Types of PPE include:
personal protective equipment for eyes (such as safety glasses or goggles);
face shields to protect the face area, for example a chemical splash shield for the face or a welder’s face shield;
head protection to prevent injury from falling objects or hazards that could contact the head area;
protective equipment for the body’s extremities and hands (such as various types of gloves, leggings or protective sleeves);
protective clothing prevents contact from harmful substances with the body or one’s personal clothing;
respiratory devices protect the airway and lungs from inhaling harmful substances;
Noise and hearing protection includes earplugs, earmuffs and similar sound-deadening devices; and
protective shields and barriers such as plastic curtains, portable walls, or sound absorption paneling.

5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
PPE must be:
Maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition
Available to trained users when needed, and
Used wherever necessary to protect an employee from hazards encountered in the workplace.
PPE protects against process or environmental hazards from:
Chemicals
Radiation and Extreme Temperatures
Mechanical irritants and other physical substances
Hazards cause injury or harm through:
Absorption
Inhalation
Physical Contact
PPE must be Maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition and available to trained users when needed. It must be used wherever necessary to protect an employee from hazards encountered in the workplace.
Personal Protective Equipment protects against process or environmental hazards from:
Chemical contact or chemical fumes or vapors
Radiation and heat producing equipment and materials
Mechanical irritants and physical substances, such as flying particles, knives and other sharp objects, heavy objects that can drop or fall and cause injury to a person
Hazards cause injury or harm through:
Absorption through the skin or body system
Inhalation into the lungs, or
Physical Contact with an object or substance

6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
Employee-owned equipment
When employees provide their own protective equipment, the employer shall be responsible to assure its adequacy, including proper maintenance, and sanitation of such equipment.
Design
All personal protective equipment shall be safely designed and construction for the work to be performed.
Employee-owned equipment. Where employees provide their own protective equipment, the employer shall be responsible to assure its adequacy, including proper maintenance, and sanitation of such equipment. The company must ensure that the equipment is appropriate to address the hazards encountered, and that the equipment is maintained and sanitary for use, just as if it was company provided equipment. Many companies do not allow employees to provide their own PPE, as it is more difficult for the company to maintain and monitor this equipment to assure that it is adequate, sanitary and properly maintained.
Design. All personal protective equipment shall be of safe design and construction for the work to be performed. It must be of the right type to address the hazards encountered. For example, leather gloves should not be used to protect the hands from acids or other chemicals, as the chemical can soak into the glove and contact the skin. Depending on the type of chemical, neoprene or nitrile gloves may be needed. However, neoprene or nitrile gloves can be easily cut and would not be recommended for use with sharp objects or cutting operations, leather gloves would serve better in this capacity. Different types of PPE provide protection against different types of hazards, and the correct type must be chosen and used for the hazards encountered in the workplace.

7. Hazard assessment and equipment selection
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
Hazard assessment and equipment selection
Assess the workplace
Written Certification identified as a Certificate of Hazard Assessment
Select the proper PPE for the hazards encountered
Communicate the selection criteria
Select the proper type and size
Enforce the use of PPE
Dispose of damaged or defective PPE
The process starts with assessing the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which would require the use of personal protective equipment. The company must perform this assessment, and verify that it is completed by creating a written certification record that must be called a “Certificate of Hazard Assessment” and that indicates the name of the area, department or facility that was assessed and the date of the assessment. It is highly recommended that the results of this assessment be contained in the record as well – either by stating that “no hazards were determined or found” or by stating the type of hazard determined to be present and any control measures that are in place to mitigate or relieve the hazardous conditions. Control measures can be ventilation, machine guards, sensing devices, interlocks or automatic shut-off devices, and personal protective equipment. Remember, the hazard assessment performed MUST BE IDENTIFIED as a “Certificate of Hazard Assessment”.
If hazards are present, or likely to be present, that can not be controlled by engineering methods or devices, Personal Protective Equipment may be required to provide additional levels of protection to employees. The employer must select, and have each affected employee use the types of PPE that will protect from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment. The company management must communicate the PPE selection decisions to each affected employee; and provide PPE that properly fits each affected employee.
It is the company’s responsibility to assure that the PPE is properly used by the employees. Policies should be in place that Defective and damaged equipment.
Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used and must be either properly repaired or replaced before employees are allowed to use the PPE to perform the required work.

8. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
Employee Training
When to use PPE
What PPE to use
How to don/doff/adjust and wear PPE
PPE Limitations
Proper care, maintenance and useful life of PPE
Disposal
Employees must DEMONSTRATE and understanding of the training AND the ability to use the PPE assigned to them BEFORE being allowed to perform any work that requires the use of PPE.
Training.
Each employee required to use PPE to perform work must be properly trained for when to use the personal protective equipment, what PPE to use, how to wear the PPE (including how to put it on, take it off, adjust it and wear it), the limitations of the protective devices, and how to properly care for and maintain the PPE and the useful life of the equipment; including when to and how to properly dispose of the personal protective equipment when it has reached the end of its useful life.
Each employee is required to demonstrate an understanding of the training, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE. This can be accomplished through written tests, practical demonstrations or other means that will provide an employer with reasonable certainty that the employee understands and is capable of wearing and using the personal protective equipment properly and in the manner for which it was designed.

9. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
Retraining Occurs when:
The employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required
Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete; or
Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete;
Inadequacies in an employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the required understanding or skill to properly use the protective equipment and that employee must be retrained before being allowed to perform any work that requires the use of PPE.
Employees must be retrained whenever the employer has reason to believe that any previously trained employee does not have the understanding and skill required to use and wear the personal protective equipment either through observation or other information, and when changes in the workplace occur that necessitate a change in the type of protective equipment or the manner in which the PPE is used.
Inadequacies in an employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the required understanding or skill to properly use the protective equipment and that employee must be retrained before being allowed to perform any work that requires the use of PPE.

10. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) General
Verification of Training
The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification.
The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification, including the types of PPE assigned. This training record should be specific to the model or size of the PPE devices, as needed.

11. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Eye and Face Protection
Eye and Face protection guards against the hazards from:
flying particles,
molten metal,
liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids,
chemical gases or vapors, or
potentially injurious light radiation.
Lens shading may be required to protect from radiant light, and side shields provide additional protection from flying objects and chemical splashes.
Prescription glasses for vision correction must either be incorporated into the eyewear or the eye protection must fit over the glasses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective shielding.
Eye and face PPE must have markings that identify the manufacturer and must meet the requirements for strength and durability set forth by the latest version of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z87.1.
Eye and Face protection guards against the hazards from:
flying particles,
molten metal,
liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids,
chemical gases or vapors, or
light radiation.
Where light radiation poses a hazard, employees must use protective eyewear that incorporates filter lenses that have a shade number appropriate for the work being performed. Where flying particles and objects pose a hazard, eye protection must have side shields or side protection devices attached when in use.
Prescription glasses for vision correction must either be incorporated into the eyewear or the eye protection must fit over the glasses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective shielding.
Eye and face PPE must have markings that identify the manufacturer and must meet the requirements for strength and durability set forth by the latest version of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z87.1.

12. Shown here is a laboratory employee, using the appropriate eye protection for the task.

13. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Foot Protection
Foot Protection is required when there is a danger of foot injuries from:
falling or rolling objects, or
objects piercing the sole, and
where such employee's feet are exposed to electrical hazards.
Examples of where foot protection may be required include:
construction sites,
warehouses,
high voltage areas and
certain manufacturing processes.
Footwear must meet or be equally effective as the criteria set in the latest version of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) standard Z-41.
Foot Protection is required when there is a danger of foot injuries from:
falling or rolling objects, or
objects piercing the sole, and
where such employee's feet are exposed to electrical hazards.
Examples of where foot protection may be required include
construction sites where nails or debris can penetrate the shoe or where materials can be dropped onto the foot,
Warehouses where falling or dropped materials, or rolling materials can cause crushing injuries,
high voltage areas where the feet can contact or conduct electrical current, and
in certain manufacturing processes where required by company policy.
Footwear must meet or be equally effective as the criteria set in the latest version of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) standard Z-41.

14. Shown here are specialized boots that are slip resistant and contaminant resistant.

15. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Hand
Hand Hazards include exposures to:
severe cuts or lacerations;
severe abrasions;
punctures;
absorption of harmful substances;
chemical burns;
thermal burns; and
harmful temperature extremes.
Selection of Gloves or other hand protection is based on:
the type and performance of the glove
the conditions present,
duration of use, and
the hazards and potential hazards identified.
There are various types of hand injuries that can occur in the workplace. Hand Hazards include exposures to:
severe cuts or lacerations; severe abrasions; punctures; absorption of harmful substances; chemical burns; thermal burns; and harmful temperature extremes.
The types of gloves and hand protection used will depend on: the type and performance of the glove, the conditions present in the workplace, the duration of use, and the hazards and potential hazards identified.
There is no one-glove that protects from all hazards. For example, leather gloves can protect the hands from cuts or abrasions, and can assist in gripping some objects, however they can soak up many chemicals that would then contact the skin and could cause injury or harm, or cause the leather to deteriorate. Neoprene or nitrile gloves that are made of durable plastics may prevent many chemicals from penetrating them and contacting the skin, however they are not very good at protecting against cuts or sharp objects. So the type of glove required for chemical exposure would be different from gloves used with sharp objects. Additionally, different chemicals may require different types of gloves, extremely cold temperatures may require cloth gloves to provide warmth and insulation, and the length of time that the employee may be required to wear the gloves may also determine the type of glove used.

16. Shown here are cut resistant gloves that also provide protection from blood and other potential contaminants during food processing activities.

17. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Head Protection
Head protection is required when there is a potential for injury to the head. Hard hats and similar head-gear is specifically designed to reduce the impact of a falling object, overhead, protruding or bump hazards. The hard outer shell prevents the object from direct contact with the skull, the space between the outer and inner shell absorbs the shock of the falling object, and the soft inner shell spreads the impact over a greater area, reducing the potential for injury even more.
Specialized protective head-gear is required when there is an exposure to electrical conductors which could contact the head. Electrical protective helmets are specifically designed to reduce electrical shock hazards.
Hard-hats and electrically insulated helmets must comply with or be equally effective as the latest version of ANSI Z89.1, "American National Standard for Personnel Protection-Protective Headwear for Industrial Workers-Requirements,“
Head protection (such as a hard-hat) is required when there is a potential for injury to the head. Hard hats and similar head-gear are specifically designed to reduce the impact of a falling object, overhead, protruding or bump hazards. The hard outer shell prevents the object from direct contact with the skull, the space between the outer and inner shell absorbs the shock of the falling object, and the soft inner shell spreads the impact over a greater area, reducing the potential for injury even more.
Specialized protective head-gear is required when there is an exposure to electrical conductors which could contact the head. Electrical protective helmets are specifically designed to reduce electrical shock hazards.
Hard-hats and electrically insulated helmets must comply with or be equally effective as the latest version of ANSI Z89.1, "American National Standard for Personnel Protection-Protective Headwear for Industrial Workers-Requirements,“

18. Shown here is an employee wearing a hard-hat to provide head protection during maintenance work.
Hair nets prevent human hair from contaminating the food source during processing and packing.

19. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Clothing
Protective clothing prevents chemicals and other potentially harmful substances from contacting the body or skin.
Protective clothing examples:
Lab coats
Chemical suits
Warming or cooling vests
Sleeves
Leggings
Aprons
Welder’s jackets

20. Specialized clothing provides not only protection for the product from human contact, but also protects the employee’s skin and clothing from contact with contaminants that may be present in the product, as seen here in this photograph of an employee wearing an apron.

21. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Electrical Protective Devices
Insulating blankets, matting, covers, line hose, gloves, and sleeves made of rubber must be marked with the manufacturer’s name, and the type or class of the product. They must meet specific compliance standards for insulating properties and have no irregularities in the workmanship.
Electrical protective equipment must also be maintained in good and reliable condition, and have no breaks, cracks or other deformities that would impact the insulating and protective properties of the device.
Insulating gloves may be combined with other types of gloves to provide additional protection from extreme cold or other hazards, however the electrical insulating glove portion must be worn closest to the skin.
Insulating blankets, matting, covers, line hose, gloves, and sleeves made of rubber must be marked with the manufacturer’s name and the type or class of the product. These devices must meet specific compliance standards for insulating properties and have no irregularities in the workmanship.
Electrical protective equipment must also be maintained in good and reliable condition and have no breaks, cracks, or other deformities that would impact its insulating and protective properties.
Insulating gloves may be combined with other types of gloves to provide additional protection from extreme cold or other hazards, however the electrical insulating glove portion must be worn closest to the skin.

22. Switchboard matting is permanently placed in front of control centers and
other high voltage apparatus to provide personal protection for workers.

23. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Respiratory
Engineering controls should be put into place before any respirator is used. The primary objective is to prevent the contamination before respirators are required. Respirator use should be required only when engineering controls fail to eliminate or lessen the hazard to acceptable limits.
When any type of respirator is used, the employer is required to provide:
A workplace hazard evaluation
Proper selection of the types of respiratory equipment, based on the hazards in the workplace
A written program and specific written procedures
Medical evaluations and surveillance
Annual Training and Fit-testing
A variety of types and sizes of respiratory equipment to accommodate different sizes and to fit the facial features of the employee
Means to clean, care for and dispose of equipment and components.
Appropriate storage for respirators and components
Engineering controls (such as exhaust ventilation, enclosing the operation, or substitution of less toxic materials) must be used when there are possible hazards in the breathing air of employees. Hazards include: harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors. The primary objective is to prevent the contamination from occurring before the respirators are required. Respirator use should be implemented only when engineering controls fail to eliminate or lessen the hazard to acceptable limits, and they are needed to protect the health of employees.
When any type of respirator is used, the employer is required to provide:
A workplace hazard evaluation to determine the type of exposure and amount of exposure potential.
Proper selection of the types of respiratory equipment, based on the hazards in the workplace (equipment used for dusts and particles are different than that used for chemical exposures, and components or cartridges are designed for specific chemicals)
A written program that details the overall respiratory protection program and engineering controls used, and specific written procedures that detail the steps of the tasks and activities that require respirator use.
Medical evaluations and surveillance including written information to and from a licensed health-care professional.
Annual Training and Fit-testing, which includes classroom discussion, practical demonstration and specific testing equipment and materials.
A variety of types and sizes of respiratory equipment to accommodate different sizes and fits the facial features of employees (respirators are not one-size-fits-all)
Means to clean, care for and dispose of equipment and components that have been used.
Also, appropriate storage for respirators and components must be in place.

24. The use of a full faced respirator may be used in the food industry when
dealing with operations that involve a hazardous environment. For example
where Ammonia is used in food preservation an organic vapor cartridge would
work in conjunction with the full face respirator.

25. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Noise
Hearing Protection is required when noise levels exceed the regulatory limits established by OSHA.
The general rule of thumb, is that if an area is too noisy to carry on a conversation without yelling at one another, then you need to test for noise levels. Noise level testing requires a calibrated noise level meter.
When required a written hearing conservation program must be developed and implemented which includes monitoring and sampling, engineering controls, yearly medical hearing examinations (audiograms), written procedures, use of hearing protection, training, communication with employees and recordkeeping.

26. If the noise in an employee’s work area is too loud to carry a conversation without
yelling, then the employee should wear hearing protection like the ear plug shown above.

27. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Summary
PPE includes all clothing and work accessories (gloves, glasses, hard-hats and shoes, respirators, hearing protection, and clothing) designed to protect employees from workplace hazards.
Protective equipment should not replace engineering, administrative, or procedural controls; it should be used in conjunction with these controls.
The workplace must be assessed for hazards and this assessment documented on a “Certificate of Hazard Assessment”
Protective equipment must be supplied by the employer and be appropriate to the type of hazard encountered.
PPE must be maintained in good an reliable condition, be accessible for use and be appropriately stored.
Employees must be trained in the proper use, storage, disposal and maintenance of PPE.
This is a summary of the information in this module discussed for the various types of PPE. PPE includes all clothing and work accessories (gloves, glasses, hard-hats and shoes, respirators, hearing protection, and clothing) designed to protect employees from workplace hazards.
Protective equipment should not replace engineering, administrative, or procedural controls; it should be used in conjunction with these controls.
The workplace must be assessed for hazards and this assessment documented on a “Certificate of Hazard Assessment”
Protective equipment must be supplied by the employer and be appropriate to the type of hazard encountered.
PPE must be maintained in good an reliable condition, be accessible for use and be appropriately stored.
Employees must be trained in the proper use, storage, disposal and maintenance of PPE.