1. Occupational Safety Training: Personal Protective Equipment1

2. Personal Protective Equipment Requirements
Overview
Personal Protective Equipment Requirements
Types of Personal Protective Equipment
Eye and Face Protection
Head Protection
Foot and Leg Protection
Hand and Arm Protection
Body Protection
Hearing Protection 2

3. Personal Protective Equipment Requirements
Employer Requirements
Perform a workplace hazard assessment
Identify and provide necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Train employees on the use and care of PPE
Maintain PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE
Review, evaluate, and update the effectiveness of PPE on a periodic basis
Employee Requirements
Properly wear PPE
Attend PPE training sessions
Care for, clean, and maintain PPE
Notify management when PPE needs to be repaired or replaced 3

4. Eye and Face Protection
Everyday prescription lenses (eye glasses) will not provide adequate protection for employees.
Examples of potential eye and face hazards:
Dust, dirt, metal or wood chips entering the eye from activities such as chipping, grinding, sawing, hammering, the use of power tools or even strong wind forces.
Chemical Splashes
Swinging objects like tree branches, ropes, or chains.
Radiant energy from sparks, heat, glare, etc.
Types of Eye and Face Protection:
Safety Spectacles
Safety Goggles
Laser Safety Goggles
Welding Shield
Face Shield 4

5. Head Protection Employees must wear hardhats if:
Objects might fall from above and strike the head.
Someone might bump their head on a fixed object, like a pipe or a beam.
There may be accidental head contact with electrical hazards.
Hard hats must have a hard outer shell and a shock-absorbing lining that incorporates a headband and straps that suspend the shell from 1 to 1 1/7 inches away from the head.
Types of Hardhats:
Class A: hard hats provide impact and penetration resistance along with limited voltage protection (up to 2,200 volts).
Class B: hard hats provide the highest level of protection against electrical hazards, with high-voltage shock and burn protection (up to 20,000 volts). Also provide protection from falling objects.
Class C: lightweight, provides impact protection, but does not provide electrical hazard protection.
Bump Hat: designed only for low head clearance situations, does not have any additional protection.
Bump Hat 5

6. Types of Foot and Leg Protection:
Employees at risk for foot or leg injuries from falling, rolling, crushing, penetrating, hot, corrosive, or poisonous materials should wear foot and leg protection.
Safety footwear must meet American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear requirements for impact and compression.
Types of Foot and Leg Protection:
Safety
Shoes/Boots
Metatarsal
Guards
Toe
Guards
Foot and
Shin Guards
Leggings 6

7. Hand and Arm Protection
Potential hazards include skin absorption of harmful substances, chemical or thermal burns, electrical dangers, bruises, abrasions, cuts, punctures, fractures and amputations.
Types of Gloves
Leather, Canvas, or Metal Mesh Gloves:
Leather Gloves protect against sparks, moderate heat, blows, chips and rough objects.
Aluminized gloves provide reflective and insulating protection against heat and require an insert made of synthetic materials to protect against heat and cold.
Aramid fiber gloves protect against heat and cold, are cut - and abrasive - resistant and wear well.
Synthetic gloves of various materials offer protection against heat and cold, are cut - and abrasive - resistant and may withstand some diluted acids. These materials do not stand up against alkalis and solvents. 7

8. Hand and Arm Protection (continued)
Fabric and Coated Fabric Gloves
Fabric Gloves: protect against dirt, slivers, chafing and abrasions. They do not provide sufficient protection for use with rough, sharp or heavy materials. Adding a plastic coating will strengthen some fabric gloves.
Coated Fabric Gloves: These gloves provide extra slip resistance to plain fabric gloves and are used for tasks ranging from handling bricks and wire to chemical laboratory containers.
Chemical and Liquid Resistant Gloves
Butyl Gloves: made of a synthetic rubber and protect against a wide variety of chemicals. Butyl gloves also resist oxidation, ozone corrosion and abrasion, and remain flexible at low temperatures. Butyl rubber does not perform well with aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated solvents.
Natural (latex) Rubber Gloves: comfortable to wear, which makes them a popular general-purpose glove. They feature outstanding tensile strength, elasticity and temperature resistance. In addition to resisting abrasions caused by grinding and polishing, these gloves protect workers' hands from most water solutions of acids, alkalis, salts and ketones. 8

9. Hand and Arm Protection (continued)
Neoprene Gloves: made of synthetic rubber and offer good pliability, finger dexterity, high density and tear resistance. They protect against hydraulic fluids, gasoline, alcohols, organic acids and alkalis. They generally have chemical and wear resistance properties superior to those made of natural rubber.
Nitrile gloves: made of a copolymer and provide protection from chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. Although intended for jobs requiring dexterity and sensitivity, nitrile gloves stand up to heavy use even after prolonged exposure to substances that cause other gloves to deteriorate. They offer protection when working with oils, greases, acids, caustics and alcohols but are generally not recommended for use with strong oxidizing agents, aromatic solvents, ketones and acetates. 9

10. Body Protection
Employees must wear body protection if there is any risk for injury. Such injuries can be caused by radiation, cuts, extreme temperatures, hot splashes from molten metal or other hot liquids, chemicals, and possible impact from tools, machinery, or other materials.
Body protection needs to be inspected before each use, needs to fit properly, and needs to provide protection for it’s intended usage.
Types of Body Protection:
Lab Coat
Jacket
Coveralls
Vest
(Radiation)
Apron
Surgical
Gown
Full
Body Suit 10

11. Body Protection (Continued)
Materials used on Body Protection:
Paper-like Fiber: for disposable suits provide protection against dust and splashes.
Treated Wool and Cotton: adapts well to changing temperatures, is comfortable, and fire-resistant and protects against dust, abrasions, and rough and irritating surfaces.
Duck: a closely woven cotton fabric that protects against cuts and bruises when handling heavy, sharp or rough materials.
Leather: often used to protect against dry heat and flames.
Rubber, Rubberized Fabrics, Neoprene and Plastics: protect against certain chemicals and physical hazards. When chemical or physical hazards are present, check with the clothing manufacturer to ensure that the material selected will provide protection against the specific hazard. 11

12. Hearing Protection
Employees’ exposure to noise is determined by how loud the noise is (measured in decibels, dB), how long employees are exposed, if employees move between work areas with different noise levels, and if the noise is coming from one source.
Employees must wear hearing protection when noise levels are at an unacceptable level.
Types of Hearing Protection:
Single-use Earplugs: made of waxed cotton, foam, silicone rubber or fiberglass wool. They are self-forming and, when properly inserted, they work as well as most molded earplugs.
Pre-formed or Molded Earplugs: must be individually fitted by a professional and can be disposable or reusable. Reusable plugs should be cleaned after each use.
Earmuffs: require a perfect seal around the ear. Glasses, facial hair, long hair or facial movements such as chewing may reduce the protective value of earmuffs. 12

13. Hearing Protection (continued)
Take a moment to compare everyday noises that you are exposed to and the acceptable amount of exposure to the noise.
Permitted Noise Exposure
Everyday Noise Sources
Duration per day, in hours
Sound level in dB* 8 90 6 92 4 95 3 97 2
100
11/2 5
102 1
105
1/2
110
1/4 or less 11
Noise Source
Sound level in dB*
Normal Conversation 60
Washing Machine 70
Alarm Clock (2 ft away) 80
Average Traffic 85
Lawnmower 90
Amplified Music
110
Chainsaw
Screaming Child
Aircraft Takeoff
180
Compare
*This is based on continuous noise, with noise gaps lasting one second or less. 13

14. Questions, Concerns, Assistance
For Questions, Concerns, and Assistance please contact Human Resources:
Steve Sager
Director of Human Resources, Airborne Global Solutions
Phone:
References
United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Personal Protective Equipment Web. < 14