Getting yourPPE Facts Right

Fact or Myth?Ashley Ranck @ashleyvonrock

IOHA London 2015

Presented by BOHS

Sponsored by 3M

Medical clearances are not necessary when wearing respirators voluntarily.

Employees who are voluntarily wearing elastomeric respirators must be medically cleared.

*Employees voluntarily wearing dust masks do not need to be medically cleared but must sign Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134.

MYTH

All PPE must comply with standards and certifications.

FACTOSHA requires that many categories of PPE meet or be equivalent to standards set by ANSI.

Employees don’t have to wear PPE if they don’t want to or if they find it

uncomfortable.

MYTH

Steel toe boots have a greater risk of toe amputation than regular work boots.

*If any injuries were to happen while wearing steel toe boots the injury would have been considerably worse in regular work boots.

MYTH

Only 1% of approximately 770 workers suffering face injuries were wearing face protection.

FACT

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accidents Involving Face Injuries, Report 604, (Washington, D.C., GPO, May 1980) p. 10, Table 10.

PPE is the best option for protecting employees.

MYTH

*PPE requires proper selection, employee participation, and care to be most effective.

Earplugs are protecting employees from hazardous noise when worn as shown.

MYTH

Source: 3M Tips and Tools for fitting and using 3M E-A-R™ foam earplugs

Tips• Hold ear back and up to straighten

the ear canal and allow for easier insertion.

• Push earplug towards ear until fully expanded-this prevents the plugs from sticking out of the ears.

The employer is required to provide training to any employee required to wear PPE.

FACT OSHA requires employees to know the following• What PPE is necessary• How to properly don, doff,

adjust, and wear PPE • The limitations of the PPE• The proper care,

maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE

Respirator cartridge lifespan depends on many factors including type and concentration of contaminant.

FACTThere are many online tools to help with determining the life span of cartridges. Change out schedules are more important with chemicals that do not have a strong odor.

There is such a thing as wearing too much PPE.

FACT

Wearing too much PPE can be just as dangerous as not wearing enough. Selection of proper PPE is extremely important.

Thank you for your consideration.