What is Personal Protective Equipment?

Personal Protective Equipment, more commonly referred to as PPE, is equipment which is worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards. Examples include:

PPE_Who_Pays

  • Gloves
  • Hearing Protection – Ear Plugs/Muffs
  • Respirators
  • Foot & Eye Protection
  • Hard Hats
  • Safety Glasses

Employer vs. Employee Responsibilities

Employers Employees
  • Perform a “hazard assessment” of the workplace to identify and control physical and health hazards
  • Identify and provide appropriate PPE for all employees
  • Train employees in the use and care of PPE
  • Maintaining PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE
  • Periodically reviewing, updating and evaluating the effectiveness of the PPE program
  • Properly wear all required PPE
  • Attending training session on PPE
  • Care for, clean and maintain PPE
  • Inform a supervisor of the need to repair or replace PPE

Who Pays For PPE?

On May 15, 2008 a new OSHA rule about employer payment for PPE went into effect. OSHA now required employers to pay for personal protective equipment used to comply with OSHA standards, with a few exceptions. The standard clarifies that employers cannot require workers to provide their own PPE and the worker’s use of PPE they already own must be completely voluntary.

What types of equipment are you required to pay for?

Check out the Examples Below:

  • Metatarsal Foot Protection
  • Rubber boots with steel toes
  • Non-prescription eye protection
  • Prescription eyewear inserts/lenses for full face respirators
  • Goggles and Face Shields
  • Hard Hats
  • Hearing Protection
  • Welding PPE
  • Firefighting PPE (helmet, gloves, boots, proximity suits, full gear)

What are the Exceptions?

Employers are not required to pay for some PPE in certain circumstances:

  • Non-specialty safety-toe protective footwear (including steel-toe shoes or boots) and non-specialty prescription eyewear provided that the employer permits such items to be worn off the jobsite. (OSHA based this decision on the fact that this type of equipment is very personal, is often used outside the workplace, and that it is taken by workers from jobsite to jobsite and employer to employer).
  • Everyday clothing, such as long-sleeve shirts, long pants, street shoes, and normal work boots
  • Ordinary clothing, skin creams, or other items, used solely for protection from weather such as winter coats, jackets, gloves, parkas, rubber boots, hats, raincoats, ordinary sunglasses, and sunscreen
  • Items such as hair nets and gloves worn by food workers for consumer safety
  • Lifting belts because their value in protecting the back is questionable
  • When the employee has lost or intentionally damaged the PPE and it must be replaced

Download OSHA’s PPE Guide Here!