Personal Protective Equipment Policy
Definitions
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Personal Protective Equipment includes any equipment that is required for employees to perform their job in a safe manner as specified in applicable occupational safety and health regulations. PPE does not include cloth uniforms, lab coats, hand lotion, baseball caps, or other equipment that is not mandated by regulation.
- Durable Equipment
- Durable PPE items include, but are not limited to:
- Ear Muffs
- Face Shields
- Knee pads
- Leather Gloves
- Re-Usable Respirators
- Safety Glasses
- Safety Goggles
- Safety Helmets/Hard Hats
- Safety Shoes
- Disposable Equipment
- Disposable PPE equipment includes all articles that are not listed as durable equipment and are designed for one-time or limited use. Examples are:
- Earplugs
- Respirators, disposable
- Gloves, nitrile
- Respirator cartridges
- Employees
- Faculty, staff and students who work under the immediate direction of a University Appropriate Administrator.
Responsibilities
Environmental Health & Safety
- Develop, implement and maintain the Personal Protective Equipment Program as directed by the Director for Utilities/ Environmental Health & Safety.
- Issue Personal Protective Equipment to employees required to use the PPE.
- Ensure that PPE Order Forms have the signature of managers that require their signature.
- Track all PPE issued to individual employees.
Deans, Directors, Department Heads
Ensure that each supervisor adheres to these procedures.
Department Supervisors
- Identify potential hazards associated with each assigned job task.
- Ensure that SSU employees under their direct supervision properly use, store, and maintain issued personal protective equipment.
- Assure that necessary training and physical exams will take place prior to the employee being assigned to wear respirators or other PPE that requires training.
Employees
- Complete PPE Order Forms for equipment that is deemed necessary by immediate supervisor or EH&S personnel.
- Maintain durable PPE in good condition.
- Return durable PPE to EH&S when requesting replacements.
- Dispose of significantly contaminated disposable PPE in EH&S provided hazardous waste containers (e.g. gloves wet with solvent in red solvent contaminated debris containers; dry gloves go to regular trash).
Student Employees
- Meet with your supervisor or lead to identify equipment that is necessary to perform your job safely.
- With your supervisor or lead in attendance, obtain PPE at the PPE Equipment Shed during the scheduled time.
- Worn equipment must be returned for an exchange.
- Report lost equipment to your supervisor or lead, it will be noted on the performance evaluation form.
- Supervisors will collect durable equipment for reuse on termination. Durable and reusable equipment is identifed on the green PPE request form used by students as "D" and "R" in the center column.
Specific Procedures
PPE Issues
- Employees will complete the PPE Order Form (pdf) and then obtain their manager's signature if that manager requires his own signature.
- Employees will bring the completed PPE Order Forms to the EH&S PPE Storage Room for issuance. If replacement of durable PPE is requested, the employee will return the old item before a new one can be issued.
- Prior to issuing new equipment, EH&S staff will:
- Check to see if that employee reports to a manager that requires his signature on the PPE form.
- Ask the employee if they have received the necessary physical exams and proper training.
- For durable equipment, request return of said item before replacing.
- For disposable equipment, check the quantities of PPE previously issued to that employee in the alphabetical PPE Issue File.
- Fill requested PPE order with available stock items.
Special Orders
- Employees may request special needs items by identifying the specific PPE they need to perform their job and completing the "PPE Special Order Form."
- EH&S will then choose one of the following:
- Approve the request and order the selected items from the EH&S Budget.
- Deny the request based on current items in stock offering the same level of protection for the specific task. This will be noted on the Special Order Form as "Special Order Denied. Supervisor's Option to Purchase." The employee then has the option to use the stock items or appeal to their appropriate administrator to prepare a requisition and order the item from their budget. If the supervisor denies the request, the employee is responsible for obtaining and using the stock item.
- Deny the request with recommendation for supervisor to purchase the requested items. This option is typically selected when, in the opinion of EH&S, the special order request is not mandated by law but would serve overall PPE policy initiatives.
- Deny the request without recommendation for supervisor to purchase requested items.
Equipment Issue Summaries
Appropriate administrators may request an equipment issue summary for any employee enrolled in the PPE program. EH&S will then provide a copy of PPE order forms or a summary of PPE orders filled over any specified time period.
Equipment Use Audits
- EH&S may audit the individual use and/or need for issued PPE or special order requests.
- Appropriate administrators may request that EH&S perform a PPE audit and issue the results of those findings.
- At a minimum, the PPE audit will include:
- An equipment issue summary for that employee, including special orders.
- An overview of the tasks that require use of issued or special ordered equipment.
- An assessment of maintenance and storage practices currently employed to preserve durable equipment.
- Other recommendation pertinent to PPE procurement, use, and storage.
SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY • ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY