Personal
Protective Equipment Program for Apparel Unit
1. Introduction
2. Responsibilities
1. Supervisors
2. Employees / Workers
3. Program components
1. Hazard Assessments &
equipment selection
2. Protective Devices
1. Eye & faces Protection
2. Head Protections
3. Foot Protection
4. Hand protection
3. Cleaning & Maintenances
4. Training
5. Record keeping
1.0
Introduction
The objective of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Program is to protect employees / workers from the risk of injury by creating a barrier against workplace hazards. Personal protective equipment is not a substitute for good engineering or administrative controls or good work practices, but should be used in conjunction with these controls to ensure the safety and health of employees. Personal protective equipment will be provided, used, and maintained when it has been determined that its use is required and that such use will lessen the likelihood of occupational injury and/or illness.
This program addresses eye, face, head, foot, and hand protection. Separate programs exist for respiratory and hearing protection since the need for participation in these programs is established through industrial hygiene monitoring.
· The Denimach Limited Personal Protective Equipment Program includes:
· Responsibilities of supervisors, employees / workers, and the Officers of Environmental Safety & Health department
· Hazard assessment and PPE selection
· Employee training
· Recordkeeping requirements
§ 2.1 Supervisors
· Supervisors have the primary responsibility for implementation of the PPE Program in their work area. This involves:
· Providing appropriate PPE and making it available to employees.
· Ensuring employees are trained on the proper use, care, and cleaning of PPE.
· Maintaining records on PPE assignments and training.
· Supervising staff to ensure that the PPE Program elements are followed and that employees properly use and care for PPE.
· Seeking assistance from ESH Department to evaluate hazards.
· Notifying ESH Department when new hazards are introduced or when processes are added or changed.
· Ensuring defective or damaged equipment is immediately replaced .
2.2 Employees / Workers
· The PPE user is responsible for following the requirements of the PPE Program. This involves:
· Wearing PPE as required.
· Attending required training sessions.
· Caring for, cleaning, and maintaining PPE as required.
·
Informing the supervisor of the need to repair
or replace PPE.
2.3 Environment Safety & Health (ESH) Department
Environment Safety & Health (ESH) department is responsible for the development, implementation, and administration of the PPE Program. This involves:
· Conducting workplace hazard assessments to determine the presence of hazards which necessitate the use of PPE.
· Conducting periodic workplace reassessments as requested by supervisors and/or as determined by ESH.
· Maintaining records on hazard assessments.
· Providing training and technical assistance to supervisors on the proper use, care, and cleaning of approved PPE.
· Providing guidance to the supervisor for the selection and purchase of approved PPE.
· Periodically reevaluating the suitability of previously selected PPE.
· Reviewing, updating, and evaluating the overall effectiveness of the PPE Program.
3.1 Hazard Assessment and Equipment Selection
As per OSHA requirement employers to conduct inspections of all workplaces to determine the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and to help in selecting the proper PPE for each tasks performed.
The ESH Department, in conjunction with Supervisors, will conduct a walk-through survey of each work area to identify sources of hazards, including impact, penetration, compression, chemical, heat, dust, electrical sources, material handling, and light radiation. Each survey will be documented , which identifies the workplace surveyed, the person conducting the survey, findings of potential hazards, and date of the survey.
Once the hazards of a workplace have been identified, ESH Department will determine the suitability of the PPE presently available and as necessary select new or additional equipment which ensures a level of protection greater than the minimum required to protect the employees from the hazards. Care will be taken to recognize the possibility of multiple and simultaneous exposure to a variety of hazards. Adequate protection against the highest level of each of the hazards will be provided or recommended for purchase.
All personal protective clothing and equipment will be of safe design and construction for the work to be performed and shall be maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition.
Careful consideration will be given to comfort and fit of PPE in order to ensure that it will be used. Protective devices are generally available in a variety of sizes. Care should be taken to ensure that the right size is selected.
Prevention of eye injuries requires that all persons who may be in eye hazard areas wear protective eyewear. This includes employees, visitors, contractors, or others passing through an identified eye hazard area. To provide protection for these personnel, Supervisors of such areas shall indent a sufficient quantity of goggles and/or plastic eye protectors which afford the maximum amount of protection possible. If these personnel wear personal glasses, they shall be provided with a suitable eye protector to wear over them.
Suitable protectors shall be used when employees are exposed to hazards from flying particles, , caustic liquids, chemical liquids, gases, or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.
Snap button operator to wear proper eye protection (safety goggles) to avoid injury by flying metal snaps, rivets etc.
· Side protectors shall be used when there is a hazard from flying objects.
· Goggles and face shields shall be used when there is a hazard from chemical splash.
· Face shields shall only be worn over primary eye protection (safety glasses or goggles).
· For employees who wear prescription lenses, eye protectors shall either incorporate the prescription in the design or fit properly over the prescription lenses.
· Protectors shall be marked to identify the manufacturer.
Emergency Eyewash Facilities
Emergency eyewash facilities meeting the requirements will be provided in all areas where the eyes of any employee may be exposed to corrosive materials. All such emergency facilities will be located where they are easily accessible in an emergency.
Head protection will be furnished to, and used by, all employees and contractors engaged in construction and other miscellaneous work. Head protection is also required to be worn by engineers, inspectors, and visitors at construction sites when hazards from falling or fixed objects, or electrical shock are present. Bump caps/skull guards will be issued and worn for protection against scalp lacerations from contact with sharp objects. However, they will not be worn as substitutes for safety caps/hats because they do not afford protection from high impact forces or penetration by falling objects.
Safety shoes shall be worn in the shops, warehouses, maintenance, other areas as determined by ESH Department.
Safety shoes or boots with impact protection are required to be worn in work areas where carrying or handling materials such as packages, objects, parts or heavy tools, which could be dropped; and for other activities where objects might fall onto the feet. Safety shoes or boots with compression protection are required for work activities involving activities in which materials or equipment could potentially roll over an employee’s feet. Safety shoes or boots with puncture protection are required where sharp objects such as nails, wire, tacks, screws, large staples, scrap metal etc., could be stepped on by employees causing a foot injury.
Suitable gloves shall be worn when hazards from chemicals, cuts, lacerations, abrasions, punctures, burns, and harmful temperature extremes are present. Glove selection shall be based on performance characteristics of the gloves, conditions, durations of use, and hazards present. One type of glove will not work in all situations.
The first consideration in the selection of gloves for use against chemicals is to determine, if possible, the exact nature of the substances to be encountered. Read instructions and warnings on chemical container labels and MSDSs before working with any chemical. Recommended glove types are often listed in the section for personal protective equipment.
For the Cutting Section Cutter and Band Knife operators will be provided with Metal mesh gloves and sizes to be actual of the wearer, otherwise accident will occur
3.2.5 Respiratory Protection
Suitable types of Masks shall be worn by all employees working in the sewing floor and cutting section to avoid inhaling flying fabric dust, and chemical respirator shall be worn by spot removing technician and in Washing plant, dry process area (sand Blasting, Spray painting) suitable Mask to be worn.
3.2.6 Hearing Protection
Suitable hearing protection to be provided to those employees/ workers visitors in places where the sound level exceeds 85 decibels.
3.3.0 Cleaning and Maintenance
It is important that all PPE be kept clean and properly maintained. Cleaning is particularly important for eye and face protection where dirty or fogged lenses could impair vision. PPE should be inspected, cleaned, and maintained at regular intervals so that the PPE provides the requisite protection. Personal protective equipment shall not be shared between employees until it has been properly cleaned and sanitized. PPE will be distributed for individual use whenever possible.
It is also important to ensure that contaminated PPE which cannot be decontaminated is disposed of in a manner that protects employees from exposure to hazards.
Any worker required to wear PPE shall receive training in the proper use and care of PPE. Periodic training shall be offered by ESH Department to employees, workers and the supervisors, as needed. The training shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following subjects:
· When PPE is necessary to be worn.
· 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.
After the training, the employees shall demonstrate that they understand the components of the PPE Program and how to use PPE properly, or they shall be retrained.
Written records shall be kept of the names of persons trained, the type of training provided, and the dates when training occurred. Also a record of PPE issue to individual shall be maintained
General
Guidelines for Choosing Personal Protective Equipment based on OSHA standards
1. Description and Use of Eye/Face Protectors
a. Safety Glasses. Protective eyeglasses are made with safety frames, tempered glass or plastic lenses, temples and side shields which provide eye protection from moderate impact and particles encountered in job tasks such as carpentry, woodworking, grinding, scaling, etc. Safety glasses are also available in prescription form for those persons who need corrective lenses.
b. Single Lens Goggles. Vinyl framed goggles of soft pliable body design provide adequate eye protection from many hazards. These goggles are available with clear or tinted lenses, perforated, port vented, or non-vented frames. Single lens goggles provide similar protection to spectacles and may be worn in combination with spectacles or corrective lenses to insure protection along with proper vision.
c. Welders/Chippers Goggles. These goggles are available in rigid and soft frames to accommodate single or two eyepiece lenses.
1. Welders goggles provide protection from sparking, scaling, or splashing metals and harmful light rays. Lenses are impact resistant and are available in graduated shades of filtration.
2. Chippers/Grinders goggles provide eye protection from flying particles. The dual protective eye cups house impact resistant clear lenses with individual cover plates.
d. Face Shields. These normally consist of an adjustable headgear and face shield of tinted/transparent acetate or polycarbonate materials, or wire screen. Face shields are available in various sizes, tensile strength, impact/heat resistance and light ray filtering capacity. Face shields will be used in operations when the entire face needs protection and should be worn to protect eyes and face against flying particles, metal sparks, and chemical/biological splash.
e. Welding Shields. These shield assemblies consist of vulcanized fiber or glass fiber body, a ratchet/button type adjustable headgear or cap attachment and a filter and cover plate holder. These shields will be provided to protect workers’ eyes and face from infrared or radiant light burns, flying sparks, metal spatter and slag chips encountered during welding, brazing, soldering, resistance welding, bare or shielded electric arc welding and oxyacetylene welding and cutting operations.
2. Head Protection
Head injuries are caused by falling or flying objects, or by bumping the head against a fixed object. Head protectors, in the form or protective hats, must resist penetration an absorb the shock of a blow. The shell of the protective hat is hard enough to resist the blow and the headband and crown straps keep the shell away from the wearer’s skull. Protective hats can also protect against electrical shock.
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Eye and Face Protection Selection Chart |
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Source |
Assessment of
Hazard |
Protection |
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IMPACT - Chipping, grinding, machining, drilling, chiseling, riveting, sanding, etc. |
Flying fragments, objects, large chips, particles, sand, dirt, etc. |
Spectacles with side protection, goggles, face shields. |
|
CHEMICALS - Acid and chemicals handling |
Splash |
Goggles, eyecup and cover types. |
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DUST - Woodworking, buffing, general dusty conditions |
Nuisance dust |
Goggles, eyecup and cover types. |
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LIGHT and/or RADIATION |
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3. Foot Protection
a. Safety Boots. Safety boots offer more protection when splash or spark hazards (chemicals, molten materials) are present:
o When working with corrosives, caustics, cutting oils, and petroleum products, neoprene or nitrile boots are often required to prevent penetration.
o Foundry or "Gaiter" style boots feature quick-release fasteners or elasticized insets to allow speedy removal should any hazardous substances get into the boot itself.
o When working with electricity, special electrical hazard boots are available and are designed with no conductive materials other than the steel toe (which is properly insulated).
o While working in wet place Rubber gum boot are most effective
Skin contact is a potential source of exposure to toxic materials; it is important that the proper steps be taken to prevent such contact. Most accidents involving hands and arms can be classified under four main hazard categories: chemicals, abrasions, cutting, and heat. There are gloves available that can protect workers from any of these individual hazards or any combination thereof.
Gloves should be replaced periodically, depending on frequency of use and permeability to the substance(s) handled. Gloves overtly contaminated should be rinsed and then carefully removed after use.
Gloves should also be worn whenever it is necessary to handle rough or sharp-edged objects, and very hot or very cold materials. The type of glove materials to be used in these situations include leather, welder’s gloves, aluminum-backed gloves, and other types of insulated glove materials.
Careful attention must be given to protecting your hands when working with tools and machinery. Power tools and machinery must have guards installed or incorporated into their design that prevent the hands from contacting the point of operation, power train, or other moving parts. To protect hands from injury due to contact with moving parts, it is important to:
· Ensure that guards are always in place and used.
· Always lock-out machines or tools and disconnect the power before making repairs.
· Treat a machine without a guard as inoperative; and
· Do not wear gloves around moving machinery, such as drill presses, mills, lathes, and grinders.
The following is a guide to the most common types of protective work gloves and the types of hazards they can guard against:
a. Disposable Gloves. Disposable gloves, usually made of light-weight plastic, can help guard against mild irritants.
b. Fabric Gloves. Made of cotton or fabric blends are generally used to improve grip when handling slippery objects. They also help insulate hands from mild heat or cold.
c. Leather Gloves. These gloves are used to guard against injuries from sparks or scraping against rough surfaces. They are also used in combination with an insulated liner when working with electricity.
d. Metal Mesh Gloves. These gloves are used to protect hands form accidental cuts and scratches. They are used most commonly by persons working with cutting tools or other sharp instruments.
e. Aluminized Gloves. Gloves made of aluminized fabric are designed to insulate hands from intense heat. These gloves are most commonly used by persons working molten materials.
f. Chemical Resistance Gloves. These gloves may be made of rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl alcohol or vinyl, etc. The gloves protect hands from corrosives, oils, and solvents. The following table is provided as a guide to the different types of glove materials and the chemicals they can be used against. When selecting chemical resistance gloves, be sure to consult the manufacturers’ recommendations, especially if the gloved hand will be immersed in the chemical.