• Get input from supervisors and workers. They
are the people who will be using the PPE you
purchase, and can provide invaluable insights
into what will be accepted, what won’t and why.
into your program. Keeping industrial hygiene
and environmental health and safety professionals on your staff helps you follow best
practices in workplace safety.
• Develop task lists for each job to be done and
match with appropriate PPE. After you visit each
job site, make a list of all of the tasks performed
at each and how many workers perform each
one. Then determine what types of PPE are
needed for each task.
• Make someone in your organization accountable/responsible for ensuring that your workers are properly equipped with PPE and are
wearing their PPE when the situation calls for
it.
• Review regulations to make sure you have
covered everything. Be sure to check applicable federal, state and local regulations to make
sure you haven’t overlooked any potential hazards and requisite types of PPE.
• Compile list of needed equipment; research
various types. Once you audit your facilities
and equipment, you should have a good idea
of what and how much PPE you will need. But
before making any final decisions, meet with
several PPE companies, get samples and prices, and allow end users to provide input on aspects such as comfort and style.
• Get your PPE into workers’ hands; continue
monitoring and getting feedback. Making PPE
accessible is one of the biggest challenges
facing employers. Once you have purchased
it, make it readily available to employees when
they need it, instruct them on the importance
of using it and on how to use it properly, and
provide them with mechanisms for feedback.
User acceptance is the key to user protection.
For more information about ISEA, the standards it
writes and the products its members offer, please
contact us at 703-525-1695 or visit us online at
www.safetyequipment.org
About the Author:
• Consider using a consultant to help assess
your PPE needs, particularly if your job site
presents a complex set of safety and health
challenges. PPE distributors and manufacturers
(especially Qualified Safety Sales Professionals)
can provide guidance on your worker protection needs, or can recommend qualified consultants to help with your assessments.
• Develop budget and make purchases. After
meeting with PPE companies, you should have
an idea of budget parameters, and if management has been involved in the planning process, they should also recognize by now the
type of investment required. If you try to save
a couple of dollars and end up buying PPE no
one will use, you, your workers and your company ultimately may the price.
ISEA is the leading association for personal protective equipment and technologies that enable
people to work in hazardous environments, and
an ANSI accredited standards developing organization. The association works closely with
manufacturers, test labs, subject matter experts,
end-users and government agencies in the standards development process. ISEA members—
leaders in safety equipment manufacturing, testing and application—are united in the goal of
protecting workers worldwide.
• Build ongoing training into your safety program. Employees who are regularly trained
have a higher consciousness of the importance
of workplace safety, and are more likely to buy
41