Environmental Health and Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers protect their employees from workplace hazards that can cause injury. When engineering controls and safe work practices are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to their employees and ensure its use. PPE is worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards. Examples of PPE include such items as gloves, safety glasses, steel toe boots.
In order to determine what types of PPE are necessary, supervisors in conjunction with EHS must first identify physical and health hazards in the workplace. This process is known as conducting a PPE Assessment. Examples of physical hazards include temperature extremes, electrical shock, noise, and moving parts. Examples of health hazards include overexposure to harmful dusts, chemicals, biological materials or radiation. The PPE Assessment process must be documented using the PPE Assessment form located in Appendix A of OSHA Code 1910.132.
For more information see: OSHA Personal Protective Equipment.