OSHA Issues
Final Rule on Personal Protective Equipment
[Posted 11/21/07]
In a final rule announced on
November15, 2007, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) upheld a 1999 proposed
standard for employers to pay for the personal
protective equipment (PPE) required for an employee
to safely perform a job. The rule is expected to
decrease the number of occupational injuries by as
many as 21,000 per year.
“Employees
exposed to safety and health hazards may need to
wear personal protective equipment to be protected
from injury, illness and death caused by exposure
to those hazards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr.
“This final rule will
clarify who is responsible for paying for PPE,
which OSHA anticipates will lead to greater
compliance and potential avoidance of thousands of
workplace injuries each year.”
The rule does not create new
requirements for the use of PPE, but generally
requires employers to pay for the protective
equipment that is required to comply with OSHA
requirements for a job. Specific exceptions to
employer payment for PPE are included in the rule,
as well as clarifications of OSHA’s intent
regarding everyday and weather-related clothing and
employee-owned and replacement PPE.
The final rule becomes
effective on February 13, 2008 and must be
implemented by May 15, 2008, six months after
publication.
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