Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof.

Maytham AL-Nasrawii

Lecture – Two
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

 Introduction:
Hazards exist in every workplace in many different forms: sharp edges,
falling objects, flying sparks, chemicals, noise, and a myriad of other
potentially dangerous situations. Controlling a hazard at its source is the best
way to protect employees. When engineering, work practice, and
administrative controls can’t protect employees, employers must provide PPE
to their employees and ensure its use. So Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) is generally defined as any equipment worn to minimize exposure to
various hazards, or any equipment or substance designed to protect a person
from risks of injury or illness. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is any
safety equipment that is worn to prevent injury in the workplace, when
engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or are being
implemented.
The purpose of the Personal Protective Equipment Policies is to protect
employees from exposure to workplace hazards and the risk of injury through
the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE is not a substitute for
more effective control methods and its use will be considered only when other
means of protection against hazards are not adequate or feasible.

In general, PPE includes eye, face, head, foot and leg, hand and arm, body
(torso) protection, protection from falling, respiratory protection and hearing
protection and other occupational hazards in the workplace (Common hazards
include chemical exposures, falling or dropping objects, particulates,
temperature extremes, light radiation, moving equipment and parts, sharp
objects, etc.)

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Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof. Maytham AL-Nasrawii

 The Three Rights of Workers

The OHSA gives workers three important rights:
1. The right to know about hazards in their work and get information,
supervision and instruction to protect their health and safety on the job.
2. The right to participate in identifying and solving workplace health and
safety problems either through a health and safety representative or a
worker member of a joint health and safety committee.
3. The right to refuse work that they believe is dangerous to their health and
safety or that of any other worker in the workplace.

The Right to Know

Workers have the right to know about any potential hazards to which they
may be exposed in the workplace. Workers can become aware of hazards by
informing and instructing on how to protect their health and safety, including the
use of machinery, equipment, working conditions, processes and hazardous
substances. The employer can enable the workers' right to know in various ways,
such as by making sure they get:
o Information about the hazards in the work they are doing.
o Training to do the work in a healthy and safe way.
o Competent supervision to stay healthy and safe.
The Right to Participate
Workers have the right to be part of the process of identifying and
resolving workplace health and safety concerns. This right is expressed through
direct worker participation in health and safety in the workplace and/or through
worker membership on joint health and safety committees or through worker
health and safety representatives.
The Right to Refuse
Workers have the right to refuse work that they believe is dangerous to
either their own health and safety or that of another worker in the workplace. For
example, workers may refuse work if they believe their health and safety are
endangered by any equipment they are to use or by the physical conditions of the
workplace.
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Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof. Maytham AL-Nasrawii

 The Requirements for PPE – A Checklist

To ensure the greatest possible protection for employees in the workplace,
the cooperative efforts of both employers and employees will help in establishing
and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment.

 The standard requires (Responsibilities) of employers :

1. Assess the workplace to determine if the hazards are present to provide a
safe workplace
2. Select and provide appropriate PPE that fits each employee.
3. Train employees on how to use PPE correctly.
4. Evaluate every job function.
5. Maintaining PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE.
6. Periodically reviewing, updating, and evaluating the effectiveness of the
PPE program.

 The standard requires (Responsibilities) of workers :

1. Properly wear PPE.
2. Attend training sessions on PPE.
3. Care for, clean and maintain PPE.
4. Informing the supervisor of the need to repair or replace PPE.

 Personal Protective Hazard Assessment and Equipment Selection:

1. Conduct a workplace survey: Conduct a walk-through survey to identify

sources of hazards to the feet, heads, eyes, and faces of workers. Reassess
whenever a new hazard is introduced into the workplace.
During the walk-through survey, observe:
a. Sources of impact/motion; i.e., machinery or processes where any
movement of tools, machine elements, or particles could exist.
b. Sources of high temperatures that could result in burns, eye injury, or
ignition of protective equipment, etc.

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Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof. Maytham AL-Nasrawii

c. Types of chemical exposures.

d. Sources of hazardous radiation, i.e., welding, brazing, cutting,
furnaces, heat treating, high-intensity lights, etc.
e. Sources of falling objects or potential for dropping objects.
f. Sources of sharp objects which might pierce the feet or cut hands.
g. Sources of rolling or pinching objects which could crush the feet.
h. Any electrical hazards.
2. Organize and analyze data. When the walk-through is complete, the
employer should organize and analyze the data so that it may be efficiently
used in determining the proper types of PPE required at the worksite.
3. Select PPE. Select PPE which ensures a level of protection greater than the
minimum required to protect employees from hazards. PPE that fits well
and is comfortable to wear will encourage employee use.
4. Fit the device. If PPE does not fit properly, it can make the difference
between being safely covered or dangerously exposed. It may not provide
the level of protection desired and may discourage employee use.
5. Reassess hazards. When new equipment and/or processes introduce
hazards that might require revised PPE strategies.

 Routes of Exposure:

1. Inhalation
2. Skin Absorption
3. Ingestion
4. Injection
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Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof. Maytham AL-Nasrawii

1. Eye & Face Protection

2. Respiratory Protection
3. Head Protection
4. Foot Protection
5. Hand Protection
6. Hearing Protection
7. Body Protection
8. Fall Protection

 Eye and Face Protection:

The intense light associated with welding operations can cause serious and
sometimes permanent eye damage if operators do not wear proper eye protection.
The intensity of light or radiant energy produced by welding, cutting, or brazing
operations varies according to a number of factors including the task producing
the light, the electrode size, and the arc current. Employees can be exposed to a
large number of hazards that pose danger to their eyes and face. employers are
required to ensure that employees have appropriate eye or face protection if they
are exposed to front and/or side impact hazards from:
1. Flying objects and particles.
2. Molten metal.
3. Liquid chemicals.
4. Acids or caustic liquids.
5. Chemical gases or vapors.
6. Harmful contacts.
7. Electrical flash.
8. Injurious radiation.
9. Glare.
10.Lasers.
11.combination of these hazards.

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Occupational Health and Safety ---------------------------- Assist. Prof. Maytham AL-Nasrawii

Selection: When selecting the most suitable eye and face protection for
employees, the following elements should be taken into consideration:
1. Ability to protect against specific workplace hazards.
a) impact of small particles projected at low velocity
b) impact of heavy particles projected at high velocity
c) splashes of a hot, very cold or corrosive liquid
d) contact with an irritating gas or vapour
e) a beam of electromagnetic radiation of various wavelengths,
including lasers
2.Should fit properly and be reasonably comfortable to wear.
3.Should provide unrestricted vision and movement.
4.Should be durable and cleanable.
5.Should allow unrestricted functioning of any other required PPE.

Lenses intended for use in eye protectors are of four basic types:

 Clear lenses: are impact-resisting and provide protection against flying

objects. The use of tinted lenses for cosmetic purposes is not acceptable.
Clear lenses must transmit not less than 89% of visible radiation.
 Absorptive lenses: are impact-resisting and provide protection against
flying objects and glare or which are impact-resisting and provide
protection against flying objects, and narrowband spectral transmittance of
injurious radiation. Shaded lenses greater than 3.0 should be worn when
employees are exposed to injurious radiation.
 Protective-corrective lenses: are impact-resisting and either clear or
absorptive, as specified for persons requiring visual correction.
 Filter lenses: are impact resisting and provide protection against flying
objects and narrow-band spectral transmittance of injurious radiation.