News Release USDL: 95-347
Wednesday, September 6, 1995
Contact: Edwin Bowers, (202) 219-8615

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released the latest edition of its booklet on personal protective equipment(PPE). The booklet discusses the types of equipment most commonly used for protection of the head, including eyes and ears, and the torso, arms, hands and feet. The publication stresses PPE should not be used as a substitute for engineering, work practice, and/or administrative controls but rather in conjunction with them. Employers also must be aware that PPE does not eliminate a hazard.

The revised booklet spells out OSHA's position on cost assumption for PPE by employers. The publication says that OSHA interprets its standards as requiring employers to provide and pay for company-required PPE for the worker to do his or her job safely and in compliance with OSHA standards. Where equipment is personal in nature and usable by workers off the job, however, the matter of payment may be left to labor-management negotiations.

The pamphlet also spells out five conditions under which respirators must be used: in regulated areas, in emergencies, where engineering and work practice controls are inadequate, where exposures exceed permissible limits, and during maintenance and repair activities or during brief or intermittent operations where engineering and work practice controls are not feasible or required.

Also included are factors to be considered for selecting gloves such as toxic properties of substances, how the gloves will be used and their resistance to punctures, tears, or chemicals.

A single free copy of the booklet may be obtained by sending a self-addressed label to the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA/OSHA Publications, P.O. Box 37535 Washington, DC 20013-7535. Telephone (202) 219-4667, Fax (202) 219-9266.