U.S. Labor Department's OSHA issues final rule updating personal protective equipment standards based on national consensus standards

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published in the Federal Register a final rule revising the personal protective equipment (PPE) sections of its general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring and marine terminals standards concerning requirements for eye- and face-protective devices, and head and foot protection.

OSHA is updating the references in its regulations to reflect more recent editions of the applicable national consensus standards that incorporate advances in technology. OSHA requires that PPE be safely designed and constructed for the tasks performed."Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "This final rule is another step in OSHA's efforts to update or remove references to outdated national consensus and industry standards."Amendments to the PPE standards include a requirement that filter lenses and plates in eye-protective equipment meet a test for transmission of radiant energy such as light or infrared.

The final rule will become effective on Oct. 9. For technical inquiries, contact Ted Twardowski, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, at 202-693-2070.Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Got PPE?

Difficulty in getting employees to wear PPE is not limited to colleges and universities, at least not according to this report in FacilityBlog/TFM (from Today's Facility Manager magazine).

A recent survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional found that 89% of safety professionals polled have observed workers failing to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when they should have been.

Proposal to strengthen penalties for PPE violations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is accepting public comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training standards. The proposal clarifies that when an OSHA standard requires an employer to provide PPE, such as respirators, or training to employees, the employer must do so for each employee subject to the requirement. Each employee not protected may be considered a separate violation for penalty purposes.

The proposed rule affects OSHA’s general industry, construction, and maritime standards. In many cases, OSHA combines separate violations of a single requirement in a standard into a single penalty. However, under the instance-by-instance penalty policy, OSHA may propose a separate penalty for each specific violation where the employer demonstrates a flagrant disregard for safety and health.

The proposed rule makes clear that failure to provide appropriate PPE or training may result in per-instance penalties in appropriate cases.

Public comments are being accepted until September 18.

The news release on proposed rule is here.

Pandemic flu guidance available

Draft guidance from the US Department of Health & Human Services is available for reading and for comment on the following three topics:

• Interim Guidance on the Use and Purchase of Facemasks and Respirators by Individuals and Families for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness;
• Proposed Guidance on Antiviral Drug Use During an Influenza Pandemic; and
• Proposed Considerations for Antiviral Drug Stockpiling by Employers In Preparation for an Influenza Pandemic.

See the H&HS website for more information.

Online tool to check hearing protection

To help you get the most from your hearing protectors, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory developed QuickFitWeb, an online tool to check your hearing protection in a minute or less.

To read more about, check the following links:

NIOSH Science Blog entry on the topic

Test and instructions

OSHA publishes guidance on respirators, facemasks

In light of a possible influenza pandemic, OSHA has released a proposed guidance document on workplace stockpiling of respirators and facemasks. The document aims to assist employers in purchasing and stockpiling decisions. OSHA is accepting comment on the document until July 8.

From National Safety Council