PPE » Cleaning, Maintenance, and Replacement
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Figure 1:
Many shipyard operations require the
use of PPE. |
Clean and properly maintained PPE is important to
ensure the effectiveness and proper functioning of equipment and to
prevent transmitting infections (such as pink eye, respiratory illnesses).
OSHA hierarchy of controls is:
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Engineering Controls
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Administration Controls
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Personal Protective Equipment
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Note: Confined space entry is one of the leading
hazards associated with barge cleaning. Review the
Ship Repair: Confined/Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres
chapter for information on how to protect workers from this hazard.
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General Requirements |
Potential Hazards:
Some
of the hazards associated with improperly cleaned or maintained personal protective
equipment include:
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Severe burns due to employees performing hot work while wearing
greasy or oily clothing
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Impaired vision due to using eye and face protection with dirty,
scratched, or fogged lenses or shields
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Skin irritation or chemical absorption due to contaminated PPE such
as clothing, gloves, face pieces, gloves, and boots
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Inhalation of toxic chemicals due to damaged respiratory valves or
face pieces, or saturated cartridges
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Inter-changing parts that may void the manufactures approval and
cause equipment failure
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Exposure of hazardous materials such as lead, arsenic, and asbestos
due to improper cleaning of respirators
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Spread of infectious diseases due to shared equipment
Requirements and Example Solutions:
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Defective, damaged, or contaminated PPE must not be used.
[1915.152(c)]
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Unsanitary PPE must be cleaned and disinfected
before it is reissued. [1915.152(d)]
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Employees must be instructed in the proper care,
maintenance, useful life, and disposal of PPE. [1915.152(e)(1)(v)]
There are cleaning and maintenance practices for
specific personal protective equipment including:
Note: There are additional PPE
requirements for health related hazards (for example Lead [1910.1025],
Arsenic [1910.1018], Asbestos
[1910.1001], Cadmium
[1910.1027]).
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