Chapter 19
19.1
Policy
19.2 Protective
Clothing
19.3 Foot Protection
19.4 Hand
Protection
19.5 Head Protection
19.6 Eye Protection
19.6.1 Introduction
19.6.2 Responsibility and Training
19.6.3 Types of Eye-Protection Equipment
19.6.4 Eligibility for Personal Safety Glasses
19.6.5 Issuance of Safety Glasses
19.6.6 Adjustments and Repairs
19.6.7 Safety Glasses for Part-Time Employees
19.7 Hearing Protection
19.8 Respiratory Protection
19.8.1 Introduction
19.8.2 Responsibilities
19.8.3 Respiratory Protective Equipment
19.9 Standards
19.10 References
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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.
Appendix B to 29 CFR 1910, Subpart I, provides nonmandatory compliance
guidelines for making a hazard assessment to determine the type of personal
protective equipment needed for activities and operations. These guidelines
are available from an EH&S Industrial
Hygienist.
To protect their health and safety, employees who work with hazardous material
will be issued protective clothing.
EH&S is available for consultation as needed. The Chemical
Hygiene and Safety Plan gives additional guidance for the selection
and use of personal protective equipment.
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.
Protective clothing must be monitored for radioactive contamination before being sent to the laundry.
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.
When safety shoes are required by Laboratory policy, the department requesting
them will contribute an amount toward their cost, as determined each year by
the Director's Office. However, if the employee selects safety shoes for which
the total cost (including sales tax) exceeds this amount, the difference must
be paid by the employee. Authorization forms (#7600-65158) are available from
the Central Storeroom. The manufacturer's shoemobile sells safety shoes without
a supervisor's authorization when employees wish to purchase them through the
low-cost program (payroll deduction). Safety shoes are furnished by LBNL for
certain off-site operations for which a formal hazard evaluation has established
the need for this 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 Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan provides guidance for the selection of chemically resistant gloves. 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.
The Laboratory provides hard hats that meet ANSI Standard Z89.1 for Laboratory
employees who work in conditions where there is a potential for head injury
from falling/flying objects or when there is a danger from exposed electrical
conductors (29 CFR 1910.135). Hard hats are available from Central Stores.
The Laboratory employee responsible for oversight of day-to-day operations
at a job site is responsible to specify when head protection is required. This
is usually the construction superintendent. Head protection is required in
the following situations:
Sufficient hard hats will be maintained at the site for visitors.
All persons must wear safety glasses whenever they run a reasonable probability
of eye injury resulting from work being performed. Staff must use appropriate
eye or face protection when exposed to hazards from flying particles, molten
metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustics, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially
injurious light radiation. Eye protection with side shields must be used when
there is a hazard from flying objects. Some work areas (e.g., chemical 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.
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. The EH&S Bio Energy Sciences and General Sciences/Operations Groups 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 or laser safety glasses should schedule an examination with the optometrist, who issues all safety glasses and screens individuals for use of laser safety glasses.
When prescription safety glasses are issued, the Health Services Optometrist completes a "Notification of Issue of Safety Glasses" form for the individual receiving the safety glasses and sends a copy to his/her supervisor. The form specifies the conditions under which the employee must wear safety glasses.
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.
All eye-protection devices issued by the Laboratory must comply with ANSI Standard Z87.1 (1989) and provide protection against impacts three times greater than dress-wear glasses can normally withstand. When in use as eye-protection devices, safety glasses must have side shields or be worn with safety goggles that have the same ANSI approval. ANSI-approved safety glasses and goggles can be identified by the ANSI Z87.1 imprint found on them.
Four types of eye-protection devices are available:
All LBNL full-time employees who engage in eye-hazard operations are eligible to obtain prescription safety glasses at Laboratory expense. Potential eye-hazard operations are those that produce flying particles (e.g., using machining equipment or portable power tools), that involve the handling of hazardous liquids (e.g., chemical labs or plating and plastic shops), or that involve exposure to intense light (e.g., working with UV). Prescription or nonprescription dark glasses are available only upon completion of a "Request for Tinted Safety Glasses" form by the supervisor. This form is available from Health Services in Building 26.
The supervisor determines the need for safety glasses, and the employee makes
an appointment with the optometrist at the Health Services Group if prescription
glasses are required. Nonprescription (plano) glasses may be obtained from
the Central Storeroom at Building 78.
The optometrist may perform refractions only for employees who require safety
glasses. A nominal fee is charged for this examination. Employees have the
option of using a prescription from a personal optometrist; however, the employee
must pay the fee for this personal service. To ensure proper fit, the Health
Services Group optometrist must issue all prescription safety glasses. Replacement
glasses may be ordered from a prescription on file as long as the prescription
has not expired (i.e., is less than 2 years old).
Damaged prescription safety glasses or frames issued by the Laboratory are replaced or repaired as necessary. The Health Services Group optometrist must make all adjustments and repairs to these safety glasses.
Whenever possible, eye-protection available at the Central Storeroom should be used by part-time or short-term employees. If this type of eye protection is inadequate or unreasonable, personal safety glasses must be issued as outlined above.
Contact the General Sciences/Operations Group to evaluate noise that could potentially damage hearing. An Industrial Hygienist and/or Health Services may recommend hearing protectors. Health Services may follow up with an audiometric evaluation of employees who are exposed to potentially damaging noise. A variety of hearing protection devices is available from the Central Storeroom.
Any operation that generates harmful airborne levels of dusts, fumes, sprays, mists, fogs, smokes, vapors, or gases or that may involve oxygen-deficient atmospheres requires the use of effective safety controls (29 CFR 1910.134). This must be accomplished, as much as feasible, by accepted engineering control measures (for example, enclosure or confinement of the operation, general and local ventilation, and substitution of less toxic materials). When effective engineering controls are not feasible, or while they are being instituted, appropriate respiratory protection must be used.
To ensure that the respiratory protection program is conducted in accordance with ANSI Standard Z88.2-1992, certain responsibilities are required of employees, supervisors, and the General Sciences/Operations and Health Services Groups. A brief description of these responsibilities is given below. For more specific information on respiratory protection, please refer to Respiratory Protection for LBNL, available through the General Sciences/Operations Group.
Employees are responsible for:
Supervisors are responsible for:
The General Sciences/Operations Group has selected the types of respiratory protective equipment to be used at the Laboratory. Any changes to protective equipment, its application, or the substitution of alternative protective equipment must be approved by the General Sciences/Operations Group before its use.
The Laboratory has a wide variety of respiratory protective equipment available.
Each respirator has certain capabilities and limitations that are taken into
account when issued. This equipment is issued by the Industrial Hygiene Respirator
Program Administrator of EH&S, located at the Building 75 respirator fit
test room, Room 112A. To arrange for respirator fit testing and training, call
ext. 7625.
The types of respiratory protective devices provided by the Laboratory are
described below. For more information on respiratory protection, refer to Chapter
4 of PUB-3000, Industrial Hygiene, and to Respiratory Protection
for LBNL, a more detailed source of information, available from the General
Sciences/Operations Group.
Disposable dust respirators are approved for protection against low (nonhazardous) levels of nuisance dusts. They provide no protection against vapors or gases, and they cannot be used in oxygen-deficient areas.
Air-purifying, half and full facepiece respirators are approved for protection against low concentrations of particulates, organic vapors, acid gases, ammonia, mercury, and a variety of other contaminants. Specific cartridges and filters must be selected for protection against each material. They must never be used in atmospheres deficient in oxygen, when carbon monoxide or oxides of nitrogen are suspected, or when conditions prevent a good face seal.
Supplied-air, and half- and full-facepiece respirators may be used in atmospheres unsuitable for air-purifying respirators but cannot be used in areas that are immediately dangerous to life or health unless these units are equipped with the proper emergency escape air supply. Compressors are normally used to supply breathing air, but compressed air cylinders may also be used.
Supplied-air hoods are approved for respiratory protection in any atmosphere not immediately dangerous to life or health and from which the wearer can escape without the aid of a respirator. In most cases, the presence of a beard, sideburns, skullcap, or eyeglasses will not affect the performance of this type of respirator.
Personnel will not be fitted or issued a respirator if there is any condition that may prevent a good face seal, such as a beard, sideburns, skullcap, or temple pieces on eyeglasses. For more information on this issue, please refer to the Laboratory's facial hair policy in Respiratory Protection for LBNL, available from the General Sciences/Operations Group.
Before respiratory protective equipment (including disposable respirators) may be issued and used, a hazard evaluation must be performed by an Industrial Hygienist. Additionally, respirator users must be medically approved by the Health Services Group and receive training and fit testing from the General Sciences/Operations Group.
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