Personal Protective Equipment

The next Steps cover Cal/OSHA safety regulations for Personal Protective Equipment. Where appropriate, we have referenced the code from Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.

The topics we will cover in this Navitent are:

-When Personal Protective Equipment Is Required
-Eye and Face Protection
-Foot Protection
-Hand Protection
-Body Protection
-Hearing Protection
-Head Protection
-Respiratory Protection
-Working Over or Near Water
-Specialized Personal Protective Equipment
-Energized Parts of Equipment or Systems

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When Personal Protective Equipment Is Required

When a hazard cannot be eliminated or controlled by engineering or administrative controls as required by Cal/OSHA regulations, workers must be protected by Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Employer must assure that all required safety devices and safeguards, whether employer or employee provided, comply with the applicable Cal/OSHA regulations and maintained in a safe, sanitary condition.

Employer must perform hazard assessments for all jobs and select the proper PPE for those hazards.

Employer also must ensure that employees have an understanding of all of the PPE related information listed in 3380(f)(4).

Steps 3 through 12 below identify how workers must be protected by PPE.

Eye and Face Protection

Eye and face protection is required when there is an inherent risk of eye injury from flying particles, injurious chemicals, or harmful light rays. 3382

Foot Protection

Foot protection is required for workers who are exposed to foot injury from hot, corrosive, or injurious substances; from falling objects; or from crushing or penetrating actions. Foot protection is also required for employees who work in abnormally wet locations. 3385

Hand Protection

Hand protection is required for workers who are exposed to skin absorption of harmful substances, cuts or lacerations, abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns, radioactive materials, and harmful temperature extremes. 3384, 2320.2(a)

Body Protection

-Body protection is required for workers who are exposed to injurious materials. These workers must wear appropriate body protection and clothing appropriate for their work. 1522(a)

-Loose sleeves, ties, frills, lapels, cuffs, or other loose clothing may not be worn around machinery in which it could become entangled. 1522(b)

-Workers must not wear clothing saturated or impregnated with flammable liquids or corrosive or irritants or oxidizing agents. 1522(c)

Hearing Protection

Hearing protection (HP) is required because the noise levels of many construction operations frequently exceed 90 dBA.

When employees are subjected to sound levels listed in Table 3 (located in the 'docs' section of this isoBlog) feasible administrative or engineering controls must be used. If these controls fail to reduce sound levels to an acceptable range, workers must wear hearing protection and be trained to properly use the HP devices.

Head Protection

Head protection requirements include:

-Head protection is required for employees who are exposed to flying or falling objects or to electric shocks and burns. 3381(a)

-When required, the employer shall provide each employee with head protection that meets the requirements of 3381(b).

-These employees must wear approved head protection. Hair must be confined if there is a risk of injury from entangling it in moving parts, combustibles, or toxic contaminants. 3381(e)

-Everyone at a construction site should wear hard hats with bills in the forward position

Respiratory Protection

Respiratory protection is required when engineering or administrative controls are not feasible for limiting harmful exposure to airborne contaminants.

In these circumstances exposed employees must wear respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 5144(a)

For all respirator use a written respiratory protection program must be in place, covering employee training, respirator selection, medical evaluation, fit testing, use, cleaning, sanitizing, inspection, and maintenance.

Notes: the following helpful resources are available from Cal/OSHA:

-The health and safety fact sheet “Respirator Regulation”

-A guide titled “The Guide to Respiratory Protection in the Workplace”

Working Over or Near Water

Personal flotation devices are required to be worn when working over or near water. 1602

Specialized Personal Protective Equipment

Some of the Safety Orders (SOs) require specialized personal protective equipment not mentioned here.

Employers and employees should refer to the specific SOs applicable to the type of work they perform to determine additional PPE requirements (for example the Electrical Safety Orders 2299 – 2874).

Energized Parts of Equipment or Systems

Work on exposed energized parts of equipment or systems is allowed when suitable personal protective equipment and safeguards (i.e., approved insulated gloves or insulated tools) are provided and used, and other conditions as listed in 2320.2(a) are met. 2320.2.

How much did this Navitent help you to understand the Cal/OSHA safety regulations for Personal Protective Equipment, including:

-When Personal Protective Equipment Is Required
-Eye and Face Protection
-Foot Protection
-Hand Protection
-Body Protection
-Hearing Protection
-Head Protection
-Respiratory Protection
-Working Over or Near Water
-Specialized Personal Protective Equipment
-Energized Parts of Equipment or Systems

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