The Laboratory
requires suitable equipment to protect employees from hazards
in the workplace as prescribed in 29 CFR 1910.132. The Environment,
Health and Safety (EH&S) Division advises on the protective
equipment required for a task, but the supervisor of the operation
must obtain this equipment and see that it is used.
Protective clothing is not a substitute for adequate
engineering controls.
Protective Clothing
Criteria for Issue
To protect their health and safety, protective
clothing will be issued to employees who work with hazardous
material.
EH&S is available for consultation as needed.
Page E-4 of the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan, PUB-5341,
gives additional guidance for body, foot, eye, respiratory,
and hand protection. Appendix 6 of PUB-5341 provides glove-selection
guides.
Authority
Supervisors authorize protective clothing for
their employees. Protective clothing is purchased from the
Central Storeroom (Bldg 78), with the approval of a person
authorized to sign for the account, as shown in the Account
Authorization Book.
Radioisotope Areas
Protective clothing must be monitored for radioactive
contamination before being sent to the laundry.
Foot Protection
The Laboratory encourages the wearing of safety
shoes by making them available to all employees at cost, delivered
from a manufacturer's shoemobile. For certain types of work,
wearing safety shoes is required by Laboratory policy or by
federal regulations (29 CFR 1910.136) as specified in American
National Safety Standard Z41.1. Examples are work that exposes
employees to foot injuries from hot, corrosive, or poisonous
substances; work in shops, in equipment handling, or in construction
jobs where there is a danger of falling objects; or work in
abnormally wet locations.
Hand Protection
The Laboratory provides proper hand protection
to employees exposed to known hand hazards such as those from
absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts, lacerations
or abrasions, chemical burns, and extreme temperatures. Supervisors
must obtain suitable hand protection and ensure that it is
used. The Central Storeroom in Building 78 stocks a variety
of protective hand protection. Individual departments are
responsible for maintaining a supply of adequate hand protection.
Assistance in selecting the proper hand protection
may be obtained by consulting an Industrial Hygienist, ext.
6218.
Eye Protection
The supervisor of an operation is responsible
for determining when eye protection is needed and what eye-protection
devices are suitable, and is responsible for ensuring that
all employees and visitors use them when in active eye-hazard
areas. EH&S is available to assist supervisors in defining
eye-hazard operations and in selecting appropriate eye protection.
The Health Services Group optometrist is available for consultation
regarding occupational eye protection. Personnel requiring
prescription safety glasses should schedule an examination
with the optometrist, who issues all safety glasses and screens
individuals for use of laser safety glasses.
All persons must wear safety glasses whenever
they run a reasonable probability of eye exposure to human
source material from the work being performed. Staff must
use appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to such
hazards. Eye protection with side shields must be used when
there is a hazard from flying objects. Some work areas
(e.g., biological/biomedical laboratories and workshops) are
designated as "Eye-Hazard Areas." Signs must be posted in
these areas that state the eye-protection requirement (e.g.,
"Eye Protection Must be Worn in This Area").
The Laboratory provides appropriate eye-protection
devices for employees assigned to tasks that expose them to
an eye-injury hazard.
It is the individual's responsibility to wear
eye protection devices at all times in eye-hazard areas and
whenever his/her work poses a reasonable probability of eye
injury.
APPENDICES
