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Contents
Page last reviewed: 05/01/2009
Highlights
  • Eye and Face Protection. OSHA eTool. Provides a comprehensive hazard assessment, information about selecting protective devices for the workplace, as well as OSHA requirements.
  • Respiratory Protection. OSHA eTool. Provides information on the development of respirator cartridge change schedules. Addresses respirator selection and other requirements of the standard.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

OSHA requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective in reducing these exposures to acceptable levels. Employers are required to determine if PPE should be used to protect their workers.

If PPE is to be used, a PPE program should be implemented. This program should address the hazards present; the selection, maintenance, and use of PPE; the training of employees; and monitoring of the program to ensure its ongoing effectiveness.

PPE is addressed in specific standards for the general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring.

Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, preambles to final rules (background to final rules), Federal Registers (rules, proposed rules, and notices), directives (instructions for compliance officers), standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards), and national consensus standards related to PPE.

OSHA

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915)

Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917)

Longshoring (29 CFR 1918)

Preambles to Final Rules

Federal Registers

Directives

Standard Interpretations

National Consensus

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA)

  • 70, National Electric Code. (2008).

  • 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. (2004).

  • 1971, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Firefighting and Proximity Firefighting. (2007).

  • 1991, Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies. (2005).

  • 1992, Standard on Liquid Splash-Protective Ensembles and Clothing for Hazardous Materials Emergencies. (2005).

  • 1994, Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents. (2007).

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

  • F 739-07, Standard Test Method for Permeation of Liquids and Gases through Protective Clothing Materials Under Conditions of Continuous Contact. (2007).

  • F 903-03(2004), Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Liquids. (2004).

  • F 1001-99a(2006), Standard Guide for Selection of Chemicals to Evaluate Protective Clothing Materials. (2006).

Construction

For information related to construction, see OSHA's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Construction page.

Hazards and Solutions

The following references aid in recognizing the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and provides information about proper PPE selection and usage.

  • Personal Protective Equipment. OSHA Publication 3151-12R, (2003). Also available as a 629 KB PDF, 46 pages. Discusses the types of equipment most commonly used to protect the head, torso, arms, hands, and feet. Additional topics include requirements, hazard assessment, selection, and employee training.

  • Personal Protective Equipment [293 KB PDF*, 2 pages]. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2006, April). Answers common PPE questions.

  • Respiratory Protection [274 KB PDF*, 42 pages]. OSHA Publication 3079, (2002).

  • Chemical Protective Clothing. OSHA Directive TED 01-00-015 [TED 1-0.15A], (1999, January 20). Describes the various types of clothing that are appropriate for use in chemical operations and provides recommendations in their selection and use.

  • Eye Protection In The Workplace. OSHA Fact Sheet 93-03, (1993). Describes contributions to and causes of eye injuries, as well as measures to prevent them.

  • Working Outdoors in Warm Climates [26 KB PDF*, 2 pages]. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2005, September).

  • Employer Payment for Personal Protective Equipment; Final Rule. OSHA Federal Register Final Rules 72:64341-64430, (2007, November 15). Stipulates that the employer must pay for required PPE, except in the limited cases specified in the standard. Safety-toe protective footwear and prescription safety glasses were excepted from the employer payment requirement, in large part because these items were considered to be very personal in nature and were often worn off the jobsite.

  • Recommendations for Chemical Protective Clothing. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1999, April 12). A companion to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. Provides chemical protective clothing guidelines for chemicals listed in the pocket guide.

  • Emergency Response Resources. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic.
  • Personal Protective Technology. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Summaries reporting the illnesses, injuries and fatalities within the various industry sectors are described in the PPE strategies including agriculture, construction, health care, manufacturing, services, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, and mining.

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). National Ag Safety Database (NASD).

  • Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). US Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Provides guidance for firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material. This guidebook was developed jointly by the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT):
  • Guide for the Selection of Personal Protection Equipment for Emergency First Responders, NIJ Guide 102–00 (Volumes I, IIa, IIb, and IIc). National Institute of Justice (NIJ), (2002, November). Provides information on personal protection equipment (PPE) for consideration by emergency first responders when purchasing and using PPE, including duration of protection, dexterity/mobility, launderability, and use/reuse.

  • OSH Answers: Designing an Effective PPE Program. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), (1997). Gives an overview of designing a personal protective equipment (PPE) program.

  • Laboratory Safety. Environmental Health and Safety at Stony Brook University.

Evaluation

The following references aid in evaluating and improving personal protective equipment (PPE).

  • Employer Payment for Personal Protective Equipment; Final Rule. OSHA Federal Register Final Rules 72:64341-64430, (2007, November 15). Stipulates that the employer must pay for required PPE, except in the limited cases specified in the standard. Safety-toe protective footwear and prescription safety glasses were excepted from the employer payment requirement, in large part because these items were considered to be very personal in nature and were often worn off the jobsite.

  • Recommendations for Chemical Protective Clothing. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1999, April 12). A companion to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. Provides chemical protective clothing guidelines for chemicals listed in the pocket guide.

  • A Guide for Evaluating the Performance of Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC). US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 90-109, (1990, June). Includes selection and evaluation guidelines for protective clothing.

  • The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL). Focuses expertise from many scientific disciplines to advance federal research on respirators and other personal protective technologies for workers. Also features links to PPE related topics.

Additional Information

Related Safety and Health Topics Pages

Training

Other Resources

  • Walter F. "PPE Saves Lives [7 MB PDF*, 52 pages]." Job Safety and Health Quarterly (JSHQ). 2002 Winter;13(2):34-7.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF and ZIP materials.

*These files are provided for downloading.