1 / 42

Personal Protective Equipment - What’s it all about?

Personal Protective Equipment - What’s it all about?. Prepared for University Safety Council May 2002 Curt Speaker EHS. Personal Protective Equipment.

chancellor
Download Presentation

Personal Protective Equipment - What’s it all about?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Personal Protective Equipment - What’s it all about? Prepared for University Safety Council May 2002 Curt Speaker EHS

  2. Personal Protective Equipment • Definition: Devices used to protect an employees from injury or illness resulting from contact with chemical , radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards (OSHA) • The need for PPE and the type of PPE used is based on hazard present; each situation must be evaluated independently

  3. Some Caveats • PPE is used as a last resort • The use of PPE signifies that the hazard could not be controlled by other methods, such as: • administrative controls (i.e., shift rotation) • engineering or industrial hygiene controls

  4. Engineering & IH Controls • Design (remove hazard from process) • Substitution (of less hazardous materials) • Process modification (how and where) • Isolate the process or the worker • Wet methods for dust reduction • Local exhaust ventilation (at source) • Dilution ventilation (area) • Good housekeeping

  5. Back to the caveats... • The use of PPE signals that the hazard still exists in the workplace • Unprotected individuals in the same area will be exposed • Failure of PPE means that the worker will be exposed • PPE can be combined with other controls

  6. So, what is it???

  7. PPE • Head protection • Eye and Face protection • Hearing protection • Respiratory protection • Arm and Hand protection • Foot and Leg protection • Protective clothing

  8. Head Protection

  9. Hard Hats work by dissipating force

  10. Eye Protection

  11. Eye Protection • Common Uses: • Impact Protection • Chemical Hazards • Radiation Protection • welder’s goggles • laser goggles • UV • Infrared

  12. Eye Protection - Selection • Visitor specs are only appropriate for non-employees with no true exposure to hazards • Safety glasses are used to protect the eyes from flying objects (no face protection) • Chemical splash goggles protect against fluids by sealing tightly against the face • Face shields provide highest level of protection

  13. Face Shield - the highest level of face protection

  14. Hearing Protection

  15. Hearing Protection Basics • Noise induced hearing loss can occur with exposures >90 dBA • A hearing conservation program becomes a requirement at exposures >85dBA • Higher levels of noise exposure have shorter allowable exposure times

  16. Sound Level (dBA) 90 92 95 100 105 110 115 Exposure (hours) 8 6 4 2 1 0.5 0.25 Noise levels versus Duration

  17. Hearing Protection • Rule of Thumb - if you cannot carry on a conversation in a normal tone of voice with someone at arm’s length, you are likely near 90dBA • All hearing protection devices should have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) = # of decibels they will reduce noise levels • Be conservative when using NRRs

  18. A couple examples • Example 1 • Ear plugs with NRR of 25 dBA • exposure = 105 dBA • 105 minus 25 = 80 dB therefore okay • Example 2 • same plugs • exposure = 125 dBA • 125 minus 25 = 100 dB not acceptable; must be below 90 dB

  19. Hearing Protection - Types • Ear Plugs - less expensive, disposable, good ones have fairly high NRRs - sometimes difficult to tell if employees are wearing them • Ear Muffs - more expensive, more durable, typically higher NRRs than plugs, more obvious • Can be used together in very high noise areas

  20. Arm and Hand Protection

  21. Gloves - Typical Uses • Chemical protection • Biohazard protection • Abrasion protection • Friction protection • Protection from extremes of heat and cold

  22. Gloves - more caveats • No glove is good against all hazards; consult laboratory safety link on EHS web page for glove selection chart • Gloves have a finite lifespan and must be periodically replaced • When donning gloves, examine them for signs of tears, cracks, holes and dry rot • Hands should always be washed after removing gloves

  23. Handwashing and gloves

  24. Foot and Leg Protection

  25. Protective Footwear • Steel-toed footwear, preferably with metatarsal guards, is used to protect feet from crushing injuries caused by heavy objects • Rubber boots are often used to protect feet from exposure to liquids • Chaps or leggings are used in certain applications (i.e., using a chainsaw)

  26. Other Protective Clothing

  27. Other Protective Clothing • Used to protect street clothes from hazards in the workplace • Often hazard specific • To be considered effective, protective clothing must prevent the contaminant from reaching the clothing or skin of the wearer!

  28. Respiratory Protection

  29. Respiratory Protection • Protects users by removing harmful materials that may enter the body via the lungs • Inhalation is one of the quickest, most efficient ways to introduce lethal levels of hazardous materials into the body

  30. Respiratory System

  31. Respirators - types • Air Purifying Respirators (APR) • Half-face • Full Face • Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) • Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

  32. Respirators • Does not include: • surgical masks • dust masks • N-95 respirators are a special class of respiratory protection primarily used in the health care field

  33. Respirators - A Big Caveat!!! • Employees should not wear a respirator unless they have been medically cleared to do so! • This clearance may take the form of a questionnaire, physical examination, pulmonary function testing, chest X-Ray, or a combination of the above

  34. Why? • Respirators put additional resistance against the respiratory system of the wearer • Persons with undiagnosed respiratory system or cardiovascular problems could trigger a serious medical problem (respiratory distress, asthma, heart attack, etc.) by using a respirator

  35. Respirators are incompatible with facial hair

  36. Facial hair… • The respirator cannot form a tight seal against the cheeks and chin, resulting in air leaks which can allow airborne contaminants to be inhaled • Specially designed PAPR hoods can be used for employees with facial hair • small amounts of facial hair that fit inside of the respirator facepiece are acceptable

  37. PPE Usage • PPE that is required to safely conduct University work should be purchased by the work unit • Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that PPE is available and worn • Employees are responsible for wearing & maintaining PPE, and reporting worn or defective PPE to their supervisor

  38. Recap • PPE is hazard specific; the hazards of each workplace and task must be evaluated • PPE is used as a last resort when the hazard cannot be controlled by other methods • Supervisors are responsible to ensure it is available and worn; Employees must wear and maintain their PPE

  39. Recap • PPE is only considered effective if it prevents the contaminant from reaching the wearer • Respirators should not be worn by employees unless they have been medically cleared to do so

  40. Dressed for Success!

  41. For additional information on PPE... • Check the EHS web site • http://www.ehs.psu.edu • Or contact EHS directly

More Related