Policy
Personal protective equipment including those for eyes, face, head,
and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, protective
shields and barriers shall be provided, utilized and maintained in a
sanitary and reliable condition whenever deemed necessary by reason of
hazards, processes or environment.
Scope
This policy applies to all employees who by nature of their job
function have the potential to be exposed or come into contact with
chemical, physical, radiological or biological hazards which by this
exposure can cause illness, injury or impairment in the function of any
part of the body.
Authority and Responsibility
Immediate Supervisors are responsible for:
- Ensuring personal protective equipment is available and providing
personal protective equipment as required or upon request to all
employees; and
- Ensuring personal protective equipment is being used by each
affected employee during all job tasks which require such
protection.
Department Administrators are responsible for:
- Assessing the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or
are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal
protective equipment;
- Communicating selection decisions to each affected employee;
- Selecting personal protective equipment that properly fits each
affected employee; and
- Documenting aforementioned hazard assessment components
Employees are responsible for:
- Wearing personal protective equipment when deemed prudent or upon
direction of their immediate supervisor; and
- Participating in training.
Considerations
Personal protective equipment devices alone shall not be relied on to
provide protection against hazards, but shall be used in conjunction
with guards, engineering controls, administration controls and sound
manufacturing practices.
When selecting personal protective equipment, utilize the following
considerations as a basic directive.
- Application: What part of the body is being protected?
- Chemical Resistance: Will material maintain its structural
integrity and protective qualities?
- Strength: Is the material resistant to punctures, tears, and
abrasions?
- Flexibility: Do gloves provide the necessary dexterity?
- Thermal Limits: Does clothing maintain its mobility and protective
capacity in temperature extremes?
- Cleanable: Can material be easily cleaned and reused?
- Longevity: Will clothing resist aging?
Contact the university Office of Safety and Fire Protection (2457 or
2481) or Stores (2325) for personal protective equipment product
recommendations.
Hand Protection
Hand protection should be worn when hands are exposed to hazards such
as those from skin absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts or
lacerations, severe abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns
and harmful temperature extremes.
The type of hand protection used shall be based on the performance
characteristics of the hand protection relative to the task(s) to be
performed, conditions present, duration of use, and the hazards and
potential hazards identified.
With respect to selection of gloves for protection against chemical
hazards:
- The toxic properties of the chemical(s) must be determined; in
particular, the ability of the chemical to cause local effects on
the skin and/or to pass through the skin and cause systemic effects;
- Generally, any "chemical resistant" glove can be used
for dry powders;
- For mixtures and formulated products (unless specific test data
are available), a glove shall be selected on the basis of the
chemical component with the shortest breakthrough time, since it is
possible for solvents to carry active ingredients through polymeric
materials; and
- Employees shall be able to remove the gloves in such a manner as
to prevent skin contamination.
Head Protection
Head protection shall be worn in areas where there is a potential for
injury to the head from impact, flying or falling objects (e.g.,
working below other workers who are using tools and materials which
could fall through grates), or electrical shock and burns.
Helmets for protection against impact and penetration of falling
objects shall comply with the "American National Standard for
Personal Protection - Protective Headwear for Industrial Workers
Requirements" (ANSI) Z89.1. Helmets for protection against
electrical shock and burns shall comply with ANSI Z89.2-1971.
Eye/Face Protection
Suitable eye protection or face protection shall be worn when there
is the potential for exposure to the eyes or face from flying particles,
molten metal, liquid chemicals, acid or caustic liquids, chemical gases
or vapors or potentially injurious light radiation. Side protection is
required when there is a hazard potential from flying objects.
Detachable side protectors (e.g., clip-on or slide-on shields) meeting
the pertinent requirements are acceptable.
Eye protection shall be durable, comfortable and easy to clean.
Persons whose vision requires the use of corrective lenses and who by
nature of their job duties require eye protection shall wear goggles or
a full face shield that can be worn over the prescription lenses.
There are four general classes of eye and face protection: safety
glasses, face shields, goggles and welding helmets. The type of
protection required shall be determined by the type and degree of the
hazard and shall comply with ANSI Z87.1-1989 "American National
Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face
Protection".
Safety glasses shall be worn at all times in the following locations:
- Academic laboratories;
- Physical Plant Shops (e.g., welding, carpentry, automotive);
- All areas where airborne materials are present; and
- Health Center when invasive patient related tasks are conducted.
Foot Protection
Foot protection shall be worn when there is the potential for injury
to the feet from falling or rolling objects, objects piercing the sole
of the foot, electrical hazards, hot surfaces and slippery surfaces.
Foot protection shall comply with ANSI Z-1991 "American National
Standard for Personal Protection - Protective Footwear".
Respirators
Use of respirators shall be done in accordance with the Respiratory
Protection Program
Body Protection
Full body protection shall be worn when there is a potential for
contamination or exposure to other parts of the body (e.g., legs, arms,
back, chest) from heat, splashes from hot metals and liquids, impacts,
cuts, chemicals and radiation.
Body protection includes the following:
- Lab coats;
- Boot covers;
- Aprons;
- Bouffant caps;
- Tyvek suits; and
- Coveralls.
Electrical Protective Devices
Rubber insulating equipment should be used/worn to protect employees
from shocks/burns while working on "live" electrical systems.
Rubber insulating equipment shall comply with the following American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards:
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves (D120-87);
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Matting (ASTM D178-93 or
D178-88);
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets (ASTM D1048-93 or
D1048-88a);
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers (ASTM D1049-93 or
D1049-88);
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose (ASTM D1050-90); and
- Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves (ASTM D1051-87).
All electrical protective equipment shall be subjected to periodic
electrical tests conducted in accordance with appropriate voltages
identified by ASTM standards to reliably indicate whether the insulating
equipment can withstand the voltage involved. Insulating equipment
failing to pass inspections or electrical tests shall NOT be used by
employees.
Rubber insulating equipment test intervals shall occur as follows:
- Rubber insulating line hoses shall be tested upon indication that
the insulating valve is suspect;
- Rubber insulating covers shall be tested upon indication that the
insulating valve is suspect;
- Rubber insulating blankets shall be tested before first issue and
every twelve months thereafter;
- Rubber insulating gloves shall be tested before first issue and
every six months thereafter; and
- Rubber insulating sleeves shall be tested before first issue and
every twelve months thereafter.
Note: If the insulating equipment has been electrically tested
but not issued for service, it shall not be placed into service unless
it has been electrically tested within the previous twelve months.
All departments using rubber insulating equipment shall make the
appropriate arrangements for testing of such equipment.
Maintenance Schedules
Personal protective equipment shall be inspected, cleaned and
maintained at regular intervals so that the personal protective
equipment can be discarded, changed and/or decontaminated as deemed
necessary. At a minimum, all personal protective equipment shall be
discarded when it has become contaminated, worn, torn or has other
integrity problems.
Personal protective equipment provides the requisite protection. It
is important to ensure that contaminated personal protective equipment
which cannot be decontaminated is disposed in a manner that protects
employees from exposure to hazards.
Note: Inspect personal protective equipment before each use for
tears, punctures, holes, cuts, cracks, embedded foreign objects and
texture changes (e.g., swelling, softening, hardening, becoming sticky
or inelastic).
Training
Initial Training
Initial training shall be provided by the university Office of Safety
and Fire Protection or the appropriate department for each employee who
is required to use personal protective equipment. Each employee shall be
trained in at least the following:
- When personal protective equipment is necessary;
- What personal protective equipment is necessary;
- How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear personal protective
equipment;
- The limitations of the personal protective equipment; and
- The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the
personal protective equipment.
Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the
aforementioned training and the ability to use personal protective
equipment properly before being allowed to perform work requiring the
use of personal protective equipment.
Retraining
When there is reason to believe that any affected employee who has
already been trained does not have the understanding and skill as
required above, the pertinent department shall make arrangements
with the university safety office and insure that each such employee is
adequately retrained.
Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited
to, situations where:
- Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete;
- Changes in the types of personal protective equipment to be used
render previous training obsolete; or
- Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of
assigned personal protective equipment indicate that the employee
has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.
Recordkeeping
Department supervisors and/or the university Office of Safety and
Fire Protection shall verify that each affected employee has received
and understood the required training through written documentation
containing the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training
and the subject of the certification.