Personal Protective Equipment

PPE

Training Objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:– Recognize hazards and understand controls,

including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

– Understand PPE & the standards it must meet.

– Identify requirements for a respirator program and

its components.

– Define air-purifying & supplied-air respirators.

– Perform negative & positive respirator fit checks.

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References

29 CFR 1926.95-107; Subpart E, PPE American National Standards Institute

(ANSI) (Various) National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH); Respirator Approval.

Mine Safety and Heath Administration (MSHA); Respirator Approval.

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The Hazards of Construction

The tools, materials, and processes of construction create hazards.

Those can affect your safety or health. Hazards can hurt you if they are not

eliminated or controlled. Your employer must eliminate or control

the hazards you are exposed to!

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Construction Hazards

Safety-Related– Electrocution– Falls– Falling objects– Flying objects– Lifting– Hot objects– Crushing

Health-Related – Noise– Chemical Vapors – Gases– Lack of oxygen– Asbestos dust– Vibration

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How Hazardous is Construction?

There are more lost-time injuries in construction than in any other industry.

Each year, one in seven workers will miss work because of an injury (most will not be wearing safety gear).

Nearly one in five construction deaths are because of exposure to harmful chemicals.

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Hierarchy of Controls

Elimination/Substitution - use a less harmful substance in process

Engineering Controls - Closed systems, ventilation

Administrative Controls - Worker rotation, training & education

Personal Protective Equipment - Use secondary to controls already in place

Why is PPE Often the Choice? Construction work is

full of hazards. Safer methods or

products don’t exist. Engineering or

administrative controls may not be practical.

PPE is the last line of defense, but common in construction.

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Types of Personal Protective Equipment

Most Common– Head Protection– Foot and Leg– Hearing– Eye and Face– Respiratory – Torso Protection

Other Types– Reflective

clothes– Life vests– Safety nets– Lifelines– Safety

harnesses– Lanyards

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Who Approves PPE?

OSHA does not approve PPE. OSHA-acceptable PPE will be approved

by one of the following agencies:

– NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health).

– ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

– MSHA (Mine Safety & Health Administration).

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Protecting Your Head Each year construction workers have

thousands of head injuries. Hard hats are required in areas where

injury from impact, falling objects, or from flying objects is possible.

Hard hats must meet ANSI Z89.1(1969). Hard hats should be inspected often. Don’t paint, cover with stickers or

wear backwards.

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Use PPE As Intended

What does the manufacturer say?

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Types of Hard Hats

Class A: General service– Most construction workers wear this type.

Class B: Electrical service– These protect from high voltage.

Class C: Bump Caps, usually aluminum– These are not acceptable for construction.

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How do Hard Hats Work?

Very well, if worn correctly!

The suspension absorbs shocks and keeps the shell away from your skull.

Make sure you have at least one inch clearance between the suspension and the outer shell. Meets ANSI Z89.1-1997;

tested to withstand a 16 ounce hammer dropped 40 feet.

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Noisy Facts

Noise increases your blood pressure and wears you out.

You are naturally going to lose some hearing with age.

Work-related hearing loss plus natural loss will make it hard for you to enjoy retirement.

Hearing loss is sneaky because you can be hurting yourself without pain.

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Protecting Your Hearing Use plugs or muffs. Follow the manufacturer’s

instructions. They must fit properly and

be maintained. Remember, they only work if used. Do not use cotton or other

home-made protection.

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When Do You Need Protection?

OSHA requires protection whenever noise is 90dBA or above for an 8-hour day.

Louder noises for shorter periods and impact noise also require protection.

Remember the 3 foot rule:– If you have to raise your voice to talk to

someone 3 feet away, you need hearing protection!

See Table D-2 at 1926.52

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Protecting Your Eyes and Face Each day 1,000 workers injure their eyes. Protection is required when machines or

tasks present potential eye or face injury.

Hazards can be physical, chemical, or radiation-related.

Protection must meet ANSI Z87.1– Sunglasses with plastic lens don’t meet the

requirements unless Z87.1.

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Types of Eye & Face Protection Safety Glasses-

– Protect eyes from front and side hazards as well as flying particles.

Regular Vented Goggles-– Protect your eyes from dust, sparks, and flying particles.

Hood Vented Goggles-– Protect your eyes from chemicals & dust.

Full Face Shield-– Protects face from splashes, and flying particles.– Must be used with safety glasses or goggles.

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Protecting Your Lungs

A respirator is a device which maintains a supply of breathable air.

There are two types of respirators.– Air-Purifying: filters the air.– Supplied-Air: gives you clean air from

another source. Either must be NIOSH- or MSHA-

approved.

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Air-Purifying Respirators Use filters which either

absorb the chemical or filter out the particulate.

– Reusable Type• has a filter, cartridge, or

canister• filter, cartridge, or canisters

are labeled with the type of contaminant they protect you from.

– Disposable Respirator• single or multiple use, usually

for dust only.

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Supplied-Air Respirators The breathing air comes

through a hose from a compressor, or from a tank.

Connections must be tight and the hose must be protected from damage. Breathing is easier & inward

leakage is less than when using the air-purifying type.

Must be used in high concentrations or where O2 level is reduced.

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An Effective Respirator To protect you, a respirator must:

– Be the correct one for the hazard to which you are exposed.

• The “workplace protection factor” must be high enough for the concentration encountered.

• Example: Half-mask protection factor = 10

Provides protection up to 10X the PEL

– Fit you properly. (Fit testing)– Be inspected and maintained, and– Be used according to the manufacturer.

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Facemask Types

There are several styles of facemasks.– Half-mask

• Covers the nose and mouth.

– Full Face-mask• Covers nose, mouth, and eyes.

– Air-Fed Helmet• Covers the entire head.

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The Employer’s Responsibility

OSHA requires your employer to have a respiratory protection program.

Your employer must:– Provide a medical evaluation to ensure you are

okay to use a respirator.– Choose the proper respirator for the hazard.– Train you in the proper use, limitations, and care

of the respirator. – Fit test you to find a model that fits your face &

has a good face seal.

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Respirator Program (cont’d)Where Respirator Use is Not Required

Employer may provide respirators at employee’s request or permit employees to use their own respirators, if employer determines that such use in itself will not create a hazard

If voluntary use is permissible, employer must provide users with the information contained in Appendix D

Must establish and implement those elements of a written program necessary to ensure that employee is medically able to use the respirator and that it is cleaned, stored, and maintained so it does not present a health hazard to the user

Exception: Employers are not required to include in a written program employees whose only use of respirators involves voluntary use of filtering facepieces (dust masks).

Fit is Important Your respirator must seal tightly

against your face. Things which can prevent a good

seal:– beards and sideburns– eyeglasses– the shape of your face; remember;

respirators do come in different sizes.

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Fit-Check Your Respirator Perform both types of fit checks every

time you put your respirator on. There are two ways to make sure your

respirator fits properly.

– Positive fit check• Exhale to check for leaks.

– Negative fit check• Inhale to check for leaks.

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Positive Pressure Check

Place palm over exhalation valve.

Gently exhale. If face piece

balloons out slightly & you can’t feel leakage, you have a good seal.

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Negative Pressure Check

Block ends of cartridges with hands.

Gently inhale. If face piece pulls in

and you don’t feel a leak, then you have a good seal.

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Respirator Care

Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Inspect it before each use. Repair or discard it if necessary. Clean it after each use. Store it in a clean plastic bag. Replace cartridges/filters if it’s hard to

breathe or you can taste/smell the chemical.

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Protecting Your Feet and Legs Every year nearly 200,000 workers

injure their feet. OSHA requires you to wear foot

protection where there is a possibility of material falling, crushing or rolling over.

Safety shoes must meet the requirements of ANSI Z41.1

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Choosing Foot Protection

Look for the ANSI label on the tongue.

Wear sturdy shoes withthick soles, steel toes& steel shanks.

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Protecting Your Hands & Body

OSHA has no specific requirements for PPE for hands & body.

Hand/body injury hazards must still be evaluated. Handling caustics, acids,

solvents, adhesives, rough and hot materials without protection is unsafe.

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Working Over or Near Water Workers near or over water must wear

a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket or buoyant work vest.

Life jackets must be inspected before each shift and not used if defective.

Ring buoys must be installed with at least 90 feet of line & no more than 200 feet apart.

A skiff must be available.

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Case Study: What went wrong?A contract employee was assigned to sandblast the inside of a reactor vessel during turnaround activities at a petrochemical refinery. Instead of relying on the contract company's own air compressors in accordance with the contractor's policy, the contract foreman connected the employee's supplied air respirator to a hose containing what he thought was plant air. It was nitrogen. The employee died.

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Is This Adequate Protection?

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Subpart E - Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment

(1926.95 - 107)

994

301

195

122

27

100(a)

102(a)(1)

95(a)

105(a)

106(a)

Standard

- 1

926.

Safety nets for falls over 25 feet

PPE - Provided, used and maintained

Eye and face protection

Life jackets/vests

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Head protection required

Always Inspect Before Use!!!

The End