Personal Protective Equipment
Policy Statement
It is the policy of Â鶹´«Ã½ State University to provide adequate protection to its employees by using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as needed. Â鶹´«Ã½ State shall supply the PPE (except footwear) at no cost to the employee. Â鶹´«Ã½ State shall perform a hazard assessment, provide training, and maintain records regarding the personal protection program. All employees shall wear PPE as required. Failure to wear PPE can result in disciplinary action, including the termination of employment.
Personal Protective Equipment Program
Eye and Face Protection
Objective
To protect employee's eyes from harmful exposure to foreign objects, flying debris, splashes and particulate materials.
Policy
Eye protection shall be worn when:
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Working with power tools (drilling, grinding, sanding, welding, etc.)
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Working overhead (painting, changing light bulbs, ceiling tile, etc.)
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Using lawn care equipment (mowers, weed eaters, blowers, etc.)
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Using corrosive or irritant materials (drain cleaners, ammonia, etc.)
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Using other equipment or performing tasks where flying objects, splashing, or the generation of dust is likely.
Proper eye protection will be furnished by Facilities Management. It is the responsibility of the employee to wear eye protection when performing any of the above tasks.
Failure to follow these procedures could result in disciplinary action as outlined in Section VI-D of the Â鶹´«Ã½ State University Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.
Foot Protection
Safety shoes with impact protection are required in work areas where heavy objects or tools could be accidentally dropped on the feet. Safety shoes with compression protection must be worn where objects could roll over workers' feet, and in operations involving skid trucks, hand trucks, dollies, etc. Safety shoes with puncture protection are required when working around nails, wire, tacks, scrap metal and other objects that could pierce the feet.
Hand Protection
Gloves are required to protect workers from cuts, scrapes, punctures, burns, chemical absorption or temperature extremes. It is crucial that the type of glove being used is the right one for the job since incorrect gloves may provide no protection. This is a particular problem with chemical absorption where incorrect gloves may allow certain chemicals to reach your skin - and you may be unaware that it is happening. Charts that can assist in determining the right gloves for the job are available from glove manufacturers.
Head Protection
Hard hats must be worn where there is a danger of falling objects. Specialized hard hats are required to reduce electrical shock hazards. The OSHA standard contains a chart to aid in head gear selection.
Hearing Protection
Appropriate ear muffs or ear plugs must be made available as a last resort if it is not possible to make the workplace less noisy. This requirement is a small part of the Occupational Noise Exposure standard, which requires employers to ensure that workers are exposed to less than 90 decibels of noise over an 8-hour day. If noise levels reach 85 decibels over an 8-hour day, the employer must develop a hearing conservation program as outlined by the regulation. If no other method of eliminating or reducing the noise exposure is found, the employer must supply PPE. Ear muffs and ear plugs are available to employees and can be obtained from the Warehouse.
Respiratory Protection
The duties of each job at Â鶹´«Ã½ State have been evaluated to determine which employees require respiratory protection. Those employees receive respiratory equipment only after they have been trained in its proper use and have had a physical examination. Every employee that is issued a respirator will go through annual training and fit testing. This test assures the respirator fits properly and does not leak. This is essential to ensure a good fit in an area where the respirator is needed.