DOCUMENT NUMBER: 501
ISSUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1996
SUBJECT: Protective Clothing and Equipment Policy
OBJECTIVE: To maintain employee safety and health, define responsibilities for issuing and maintaining employee protective equipment, and assure compliance with regulatory requirements.
SCOPE: The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) employees shall be provided with and required to use and maintain protective clothing and equipment to improve their safety. Individual departments, schools or colleges may implement their own more stringent policies, but any policy must, as a minimum, meet the requirements of this policy and all applicable regulatory requirements.
I. INTRODUCTION
All protective clothing and equipment will meet the general requirements of 29 Code of Federal Registration, Subpart I, 1910.132-140, Personal Protective Equipment. With the exception of the standard on Respiratory Protection, these OSHA standards are general and rely principally on conformity with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) regulations. Approved respiratory protective equipment must meet the requirements of NIOSH and MSHA.
When selecting or buying any type of safety equipment, insist on the best equipment, deal only with reputable firms, and specify required approvals. To ensure the receipt of acceptable protective equipment, the purchase order should stipulate the type of equipment, its intended use, and the specifications of the standard or regulation (ANSI, MSHA, OSHA, NIOSH) it must meet. Further, the purchase order should require that any equipment being purchased meet current Occupational Safety and Health Standards.
Those responsible for purchasing equipment should consult with the UAF Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management (EHS&RM) Department (474-5413) for guidance in selecting the appropriate personal protective equipment.
II. TYPES OF PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
There are ten categories of personal protective equipment. Employees shall wear the required equipment issued and shall be responsible for its care and maintenance. Employees may be responsible for the replacement cost if the equipment is lost or damaged through neglect or misuse.
A. Eye ProtectionDesigned to guard against flying objects, glare, liquids, injurious radiation and combinations of these hazards. Must meet ANSI Z87.1 standards.
B. Face Protection
Designed to shield the face (and often the head and neck as well) from light impact, chemical or hot metal splashes, heat radiation or other hazards.
C. Hearing Protection
Protect against harmful effects of noise when employees are exposed to sound levels that exceed permissible levels established by OSHA.
D. Head Protection
Designed to shield against impact from falling, moving, flying, and knock-against objects, electrical contact, or rain, chips, sparks, and other objects which may cause injury or discomfort.
E. Hand Protection
Designed to guard fingers and hands from exposures to cuts, scratches, bruises, burns and absorption of chemicals or agents. There are many types of gloves available such as metal mesh, rubber, neoprene, vinyl, cotton, fabric, leather and coated fabrics. In addition, forearm protection is provided by gauntlet styles and protective barrier creams provides some skin protection.
F. Foot Protection
There are two foot protection categories - safety shoes and foot guards. Both are designed to guard against impact, lacerations, crushing and punctures. They must meet ANSI Z41.1 -1981. Where acids, alkalis, and water are encountered, natural or synthetic rubber or plastic resistant to the specific exposure should be used.
G. Protective Clothing
Designed to reduce injury from exposure to fire, heat, cuts, impact and dangerous chemicals. Consider the type of exposure, design, and maintenance of protective clothing. Also, consider items such as visibility, disposable versus non-disposable, lead clothing for radiation, leather, flame resistant and rubbers for acids or caustic solutions.
H. Safety Belts, Harnesses, Lifelines
Designed to prevent falls and aid in emergency extrication of an employee during rescue attempts. Harness-type safety belts are the preferred type because they distribute the shock loads during a fall and also allow for easier rescue if the victim is unconscious, buried, or must be taken out through a confined space opening. All equipment should be regularly inspected for cuts, scratches, worn or broken fibers, and should be taken out of service and discarded if subjected to an impact load.
I. Life Rings & Personal Flotation Devices
At least one U. S. Coast Guard approved 30-inch life ring with not less than 90 feet of 600 pound capacity line attached shall be kept in a conveniently accessible place where employees are exposed to the hazards of drowning. Each exposed employee shall wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device. Personal flotation devices shall be maintained in good condition and should be removed from service when damaged.
J. Respiratory Protection
As with hearing protection, respiratory protection devices may be used only after it has been shown that feasible engineering controls have been put into effect to reduce exposures. Document Number 502 prescribes employee safety in the selection, use, care, inspection, maintenance, cleaning and disinfecting, storing, fitting, training and physical limitations of respiratory protection. Only NIOSH and MSHA approved respirators for the type of hazardous atmospheres encountered are to be used.