Safety or Personal Protective Equipment

This policy applies to: All staff

I. Policy

The University requires staff to wear/use safety or personal protective equipment when assigned work that may cause injury or illness.

II. Guidelines

A. Requirements and Standards

1. In accordance with the OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR 1910.132) each department is required to perform a hazard evaluation of those work areas or jobs where hazards are likely to be present. (See Job Hazard Assessments in the University Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Plan available from Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S). Examples of recognized hazards include chemical and radiological exposures, sharp objects which may cut or puncture the skin, excessive noise, heavy objects which may fall onto the feet or head, flying debris which may be inhaled or strike the eyes, laser or other non-ionizing radiation sources, blood borne pathogens and other biohazards, and any other hazard which may cause injury, illness or impairment by inhalation, absorption, ingestion, injection, or mechanical action.
2. Staff members in designated positions are required to wear appropriate protective equipment during work hours. Individuals represented by collective bargaining agreements receive benefits in accordance with those agreements. Note: Personal protective equipment shall not be used in areas where administration or engineering controls are feasible and provide protection equal to or greater than that offered by personnel protective equipment.
3. Supervisors are responsible to ensure that all personal protective equipment provided by the University or by the employee is capable of providing adequate protection and is properly maintained.
4. Supervisors are responsible to provide staff with site specific training to ensure that they have the knowledge to know when/how to use and maintain personal protective equipment.
5. All protective equipment must meet standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), or other regulatory agencies (e.g. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
6. Departments are responsible for costs related to the use of personal protective equipment to include the initial purchase of equipment, fit testing, medical examinations, training (and materials), service and maintenance and associated supplies.
7. Supervisors are responsible for maintaining records verifying compliance with training, completion of medical examinations, purchase and replacement dates of equipment and/or other relevant information.

B. Enforcement

1. Supervisors are responsible for enforcing all safety equipment requirements on an ongoing basis.
2. Staff not complying with safety requirements will not be allowed to work and will be on leave without pay until they comply with requirements.

III. Procedures

A. Department heads (or designees) will establish procedures for procurement of safety equipment in accordance with Section II A. Safety equipment such as non-prescription safety glasses, hard hats, protective earplugs or muffs, gloves and respirators will be provided at no cost to the employee by the department. Employees may be reimbursed for or provided a voucher to cover the partial or whole cost of personal protective equipment (e.g. safety footwear or prescription safety glasses) when the probationary period is successfully completed. Departments will determine a reasonable allowance for such equipment.

B. Safety footwear will be replaced not less frequently than every twelve months. Safety footwear damaged beyond repair due to a work-related incident, rather than normal wear, may also be replaced if approved by the department head or designee. An incident report (S115) must be completed by the employee’s supervisor, or Security if appropriate, and sent to EH&S.

See also:

• #154 Corrective Discipline
• #130 Onboarding Program
• SMH Policy Manual
• Environmental Health & Safety website: www.safety.rochester.edu