Eye and Face Protection

Overview
When a workplace hazard assessment shows that employees may encounter injury to the eyes or face, campus
management and supervisors should explore all possible engineering and work practice controls to eliminate
hazards. If these hazards cannot be eliminated through engineering and work practice controls, supervisors must
require that the employees use appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) to provide additional protection.
Potential hazards include, but are not limited to, flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic
liquids, chemical gases or vapors, potentially infected material or potentially harmful
light radiation. Protective equipment for the eyes and face commonly includes:
Safety glasses Protective eyeglasses with impact-resistant lenses and safety
frames constructed of metal or plastic.
Goggles Tight-fitting eye protection that completely cover the eyes, eye
sockets and the facial area immediately surrounding the eyes. Provides protection from impact, dust and
splashes.
Welding shields Constructed of vulcanized fiber or fiberglass and fitted with a filtered lens, welding shields
protect eyes from burns caused by infrared or intense radiant light; they also protect both the eyes and face
from flying sparks, metal spatter and slag chips produced during welding, brazing, soldering and cutting
operations.
Laser safety goggles Provides protection from laser light.
Face shields Headgear providing a transparent sheet of plastic covering the entire face. They protect against
nuisance dusts and potential splashes or sprays of hazardous liquids but will not provide adequate protection
against impact hazards.
Head Protection
Overview
Head protection is needed when employees work in any of the following areas that cannot be
eliminated through engineering or work practice controls:
Areas in which objects might fall from above and strike them on the head;
Areas in which there could be head contact with electrical hazards; or
Areas in which they might bump their heads against fixed objects, such as exposed pipes
or beams.

Foot and Leg Protection
Overview
When a workplace hazard assessment shows that employees may encounter injury to feet and legs, campus
management and supervisors should explore all possible engineering and work
practice controls to eliminate hazards. If these hazards cannot be eliminated through
engineering and work practice controls, supervisors must require that the employees
use appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) to provide additional protection.
Potential hazards include, but are not limited to, falling or rolling objects, punctures
(including objects piercing the sole) electrical hazards, chemical hazards, burns (e.g.,
sparks or molten metal), and environmental and process hazards.
Protective equipment for the feet and legs commonly includes:
Safety shoes Safety shoes have impact-resistant toes and heat-resistant soles. Some shoes have metal
insoles to protect against punctures.
Electrically conductive shoes These shoes provide protection against the buildup of static electricity.
Electrical hazard, safety-toe shoes These shoes are nonconductive and will prevent the wearers feet from
completing an electrical circuit to the ground.
Foundry shoes These shoes have built-in safety toes, insulate the feet from the extreme heat of molten
metal, and keep hot metal from lodging in shoe.
Leggings This garment protects the lower legs and feet from burn injuries from molten metal or welding
sparks.
Toe guards Toe guards fit over the toes of regular shoes to protect the toes from impact and compression
hazards.
Metatarsal guards These guards protect the instep area from impact and compression.
Combination foot and shin guards These protect the lower legs and feet.

Hearing protection and conservation

Noise, or unwanted sound, is one of the most pervasive occupational health problems. Exposure to high
levels of noise causes hearing loss and may cause other harmful health effects as well. The extent of
damage depends primarily on the intensity of the noise and the duration of the exposure.
Noise-induced hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. Temporary hearing loss results from short-
term exposures to noise, with normal hearing returning after period of rest. Generally, prolonged
exposure to high noise levels over a period of time gradually causes permanent damage.

Hand and Arm Protection
When a workplace hazard assessment shows that employees may encounter injury to hands and arms that
cannot be eliminated through engineering and work practice controls, supervisors must require that the
employees wear appropriate protection. Potential hazards include skin absorption of harmful substances,
chemical or thermal burns, electrical dangers, bruises, abrasions, cuts, punctures, fractures and amputations.
Protective equipment includes gloves, finger guards and arm coverings or elbow-length gloves.
Campus management and supervisors should explore all possible engineering and work practice controls to eliminate hazards and
use PPE to provide additional protection against hazards that cannot be completely eliminated through other means.

Respiratory Protection
Overview
The primary objective of the respiratory protection program is to prevent exposure to air contaminated with harmful dusts, fogs,
fumes, mists, gases, smokes, vapors, or sprays, and thus to prevent occupational illness.
A program administrator must be responsible for the program. This person must know enough about
respirators to supervise the program properly.
Employees must use respirators while effective engineering controls, if they are feasible, are being
installed. If engineering controls are not feasible, employers must provide respirators and employees
must wear them when necessary to protect their health. The employees equipment must be properly
selected, used, and maintained for a particular work environment and contaminant. In addition,
employers must train employees in all aspects of the respiratory protection program.