Occupational Safety Training:

Personal Protective Equipment

Overview

• Personal Protective Equipment Requirements • Types of Personal Protective Equipment – Eye and Face Protection – Head Protection – Foot and Leg Protection – Hand and Arm Protection – Body Protection – Hearing Protection 2

Personal Protective Equipment Requirements

• Employer Requirements – Perform a workplace hazard assessment – Identify and provide necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Train employees on the use and care of PPE – Maintain PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE – Review, evaluate, and update the effectiveness of PPE on a periodic basis • Employee Requirements – Properly wear PPE – Attend PPE training sessions – Care for, clean, and maintain PPE – Notify management when PPE needs to be repaired or replaced 3

Eye and Face Protection

• Everyday prescription lenses (eye glasses) will not provide adequate protection for employees.

• Examples of potential eye and face hazards: – Dust, dirt, metal or wood chips entering the eye from activities such as chipping, grinding, sawing, hammering, the use of power tools or even strong wind forces. – Chemical Splashes – Swinging objects like tree branches, ropes, or chains.

– Radiant energy from sparks, heat, glare, etc.

• Types of Eye and Face Protection: Safety Spectacles Safety Goggles Laser Safety Goggles 4 Welding Shield Face Shield

Head Protection

• Employees must wear hardhats if: – Objects might fall from above and strike the head.

– Someone might bump their head on a fixed object, like a pipe or a beam.

– There may be accidental head contact with electrical hazards.

• Hard hats must have a hard outer shell and a shock-absorbing lining that incorporates a headband and straps that suspend the shell from 1 to 1 1/7 inches away from the head. • Types of Hardhats: – Class A: hard hats provide impact and penetration resistance along with limited voltage protection (up to 2,200 volts). – Class B: hard hats provide the highest level of protection against electrical hazards, with high-voltage shock and burn protection (up to 20,000 volts). Also provide protection from falling objects.

– Class C: lightweight, provides impact protection, but does not provide electrical hazard protection.

– Bump Hat: designed only for low head clearance situations, does not have any additional protection. Bump Hat 5

Foot and Leg Protection

• Employees at risk for foot or leg injuries from falling, rolling, crushing, penetrating, hot, corrosive, or poisonous materials should wear foot and leg protection.

• Safety footwear must meet American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear requirements for impact and compression.

• Types of Foot and Leg Protection: Safety Shoes/Boots Metatarsal Guards Toe Guards 6 Foot and Shin Guards Leggings

Hand and Arm Protection

• Potential hazards include skin absorption of harmful substances, chemical or thermal burns, electrical dangers, bruises, abrasions, cuts, punctures, fractures and amputations. • Types of Gloves – Leather, Canvas, or Metal Mesh Gloves: • Leather Gloves protect against sparks, moderate heat, blows, chips and rough objects. • Aluminized gloves provide reflective and insulating protection against heat and require an insert made of synthetic materials to protect against heat and cold. • Aramid fiber gloves protect against heat and cold, are cut and abrasive - resistant and wear well. • Synthetic gloves of various materials offer protection against heat and cold, are cut - and abrasive - resistant and may withstand some diluted acids. These materials do not stand up against alkalis and solvents. 7

Hand and Arm Protection

(continued) – Fabric and Coated Fabric Gloves • Fabric Gloves: protect against dirt, slivers, chafing and abrasions. They do not provide sufficient protection for use with rough, sharp or heavy materials. Adding a plastic coating will strengthen some fabric gloves. • Coated Fabric Gloves: These gloves provide extra slip resistance to plain fabric gloves and are used for tasks ranging from handling bricks and wire to chemical laboratory containers.

– Chemical and Liquid Resistant Gloves • Butyl Gloves: made of a synthetic rubber and protect against a wide variety of chemicals. Butyl gloves also resist oxidation, ozone corrosion and abrasion, and remain flexible at low temperatures. Butyl rubber does not perform well with aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated solvents. • Natural (latex) Rubber Gloves: comfortable to wear, which makes them a popular general-purpose glove. They feature outstanding tensile strength, elasticity and temperature resistance. In addition to resisting abrasions caused by grinding and polishing, these gloves protect workers' hands from most water solutions of acids, alkalis, salts and ketones.

Hand and Arm Protection

(continued) • Neoprene Gloves: made of synthetic rubber and offer good pliability, finger dexterity, high density and tear resistance. They protect against hydraulic fluids, gasoline, alcohols, organic acids and alkalis. They generally have chemical and wear resistance properties superior to those made of natural rubber. • Nitrile gloves: made of a copolymer and provide protection from chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. Although intended for jobs requiring dexterity and sensitivity, nitrile gloves stand up to heavy use even after prolonged exposure to substances that cause other gloves to deteriorate. They offer protection when working with oils, greases, acids, caustics and alcohols but are generally not recommended for use with strong oxidizing agents, aromatic solvents, ketones and acetates. 9

Body Protection

• Employees must wear body protection if there is any risk for injury. Such injuries can be caused by radiation, cuts, extreme temperatures, hot splashes from molten metal or other hot liquids, chemicals, and possible impact from tools, machinery, or other materials.

• Body protection needs to be inspected before each use, needs to fit properly, and needs to provide protection for it’s intended usage.

• Types of Body Protection: Lab Coat Vest (Radiation) Jacket Coveralls Apron Surgical Gown 10 Full Body Suit

Body Protection

(Continued) • Materials used on Body Protection: – Paper-like Fiber: for disposable suits provide protection against dust and splashes. – Treated Wool and Cotton: adapts well to changing temperatures, is comfortable, and fire-resistant and protects against dust, abrasions, and rough and irritating surfaces. – Duck: a closely woven cotton fabric that protects against cuts and bruises when handling heavy, sharp or rough materials. – Leather: often used to protect against dry heat and flames. – Rubber, Rubberized Fabrics, Neoprene and Plastics: protect against certain chemicals and physical hazards. When chemical or physical hazards are present, check with the clothing manufacturer to ensure that the material selected will provide protection against the specific hazard. 11

Hearing Protection

• Employees’ exposure to noise is determined by how loud the noise is (measured in decibels, dB), how long employees are exposed, if employees move between work areas with different noise levels, and if the noise is coming from one source.

• Employees must wear hearing protection when noise levels are at an unacceptable level.

• Types of Hearing Protection: – Single-use Earplugs: made of waxed cotton, foam, silicone rubber or fiberglass wool. They are self-forming and, when properly inserted, they work as well as most molded earplugs. – Pre-formed or Molded Earplugs: must be individually fitted by a professional and can be disposable or reusable. Reusable plugs should be cleaned after each use. – Earmuffs: require a perfect seal around the ear. Glasses, facial hair, long hair or facial movements such as chewing may reduce the protective value of earmuffs.

Hearing Protection

(continued) • Take a moment to compare everyday noises that you are exposed to and the acceptable amount of exposure to the noise.

Permitted Noise Exposure Duration per day, in hours

8 6 4 3 2 11/2 5

Sound level in dB*

90 92 95 97 100 102 1 1/2 105 110 1/4 or less 11 *This is based on continuous noise, with noise gaps lasting one second or less.

Compare

Everyday Noise Sources Noise Source

Normal Conversation Washing Machine Alarm Clock (2 ft away) Average Traffic Lawnmower

Sound level in dB*

60 70 80 85 90 Amplified Music Chainsaw Screaming Child Aircraft Takeoff 110 110 110 180

Questions, Concerns, Assistance

For Questions, Concerns, and Assistance please contact Human Resources: Steve Sager

Director of Human Resources, Airborne Global Solutions Phone: 937-366-2830 Email: [email protected]

References United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Personal Protective Equipment. 2003. Web. .