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Policy and Procedure ManualChapter 290 Health and Safety Services Responsible Department: Environmental
Health and Safety This section outlines requirements related to the use, provision, maintenance, and replacement of personal protective equipment and protective work clothing. Further information appears in Personnel Policies for Staff Members, Policy and Procedure 35, Protective Clothing, Equipment, and Uniforms, and in applicable collective bargaining agreements. A. Personal protective equipment--equipment or devices worn or used by employees, students, or visitors to control exposure to hazardous substances to prevent occupational illnesses, accidental injuries, or serious harm to employees working in hazardous or potentially hazardous environments. Personal protective equipment specifically designed to protect the individual includes, but is not limited to, respiratory protection equipment, safety head covers, safety hats, helmets, hard hats, hearing protectors, gloves, face shields, goggles, safety glasses, safety shoes, specialized body protection equipment, ergonomic equipment, and specialized law enforcement and firefighting equipment. B. Protective work clothing--attire worn over or in place of regular clothing to protect the employee's clothing from damage, exposure, or abnormal soiling or to maintain essential sanitary conditions in areas such as hospital food services, surgical rooms, animal quarantine areas, laboratory animal colonies, and "clean rooms." Protective work clothing includes surgical gowns, scrub suits, laboratory coats or smocks, coveralls, aprons, and hair nets. Certain personal protective equipment can also be considered as specialized work clothes used to protect the body from exposure or potential exposure to a hazardous environment. A. General 1. It is the policy of the University to provide employees with certain protective work clothing and personal protective equipment. Employees may be required to provide their own cold weather clothing. 2. The Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) provides interpretation of the applicable codes and standards relating to personal protective equipment and protective work clothing. On the Davis campus, call 530-752-1493; at UCDHS, call 916-734-2740. 3. Certain aspects of the policy may be superseded by collective bargaining agreements. For details call campus Employee & Labor Relations (530-752-6660) or UCDHS Employee & Labor Relations (916-734-3362). B. Use requirements The use of certain protective work clothing and personal protective equipment is mandatory according to Federal, State, or University requirements. 1. Vision protection Individuals engaged in or observing activities that may cause eye injury are required to wear eye protection such as, but not limited to, goggles, face shields, prescription-ground safety glasses, or plano safety glasses. Vision protection required by this policy must meet the current American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards or equivalent. The department must provide such devices. The employee is responsible for the cost of obtaining the vision examination and prescription, but generally the University's vision insurance plan covers this cost. 2. Respiratory protection When it is clearly impractical to remove harmful dusts, fumes, mists, vapors, or gases at their source through engineering controls, or when emergency protection against occasional or relatively brief exposure is needed, the department must provide, and those exposed to such hazards must use, respiratory protection equipment approved by EH&S. The EH&S Respiratory Protection Manual (available on the World Wide Web at http://ehs.ucdavis.edu/biosfty/respman/index.cfm) describes respiratory equipment selection to meet specific job requirements; testing, fitting, and training requirements for respirator uses; maintenance and care of respirators; and required inspection procedures. 3. Hand protection Protective gloves are required for handling corrosives, solvents, other toxic chemicals, radioactive materials, hot or cold liquids or objects, cryogenics, physical hazards, or other hazards that may cause hand injury. The type of glove required by this policy must be selected based on manufacturer guidelines for protection against identified hazards. 4. Foot protection Protective foot gear is required for employees exposed to hot, corrosive, or hazardous substances, falling objects, movement of heavy materials, or abnormally wet locations or conditions. The type of protective foot gear required by this policy must meet current ANSI standards or equivalent. 5. Hearing protection Hearing protection (earplugs, muffs, etc.) should be made available to employees for use at their discretion for areas above 80 dBA, and must be used in all areas above 85 dBA. At levels exceeding 90 dBA, steps must be taken to reduce the level of noise exposure to employees. All employees exposed at or above a time-weighted average of 85 dBA are required to participate in the Hearing Conservation and Medical Surveillance Program. 6. Laboratory use requirements a. Minimum protective clothing for handling hazardous materials in laboratories includes safety glasses, appropriate chemical resistant gloves, laboratory coat, and closed-toe/heel shoes. It is the employee's responsibility to wear closed-toe/heel shoes. Chemical splash goggles are required when handling powders and liquids that may be hazardous to the eyes (such as solvents and corrosives). (See Sections 290-55 and 290-75 for additional guidelines for biosafety and radiation safety.) b. Personal protective equipment and clothing worn for protection in laboratories using chemical, biological, or radiologic materials must not be worn outside the work area. 7. Other protection Other protection that may be required includes protective clothing for hazards such as radiant heat and acids, vehicle safety belts and harnesses, lead-rubber aprons, head protection such as safety hats, helmets, or bump caps, and physical restraint equipment. C. Provision responsibilities 1. Department heads and unit managers have the primary responsibility for determining appropriate personal protective equipment and protective work clothing. EH&S may review department determinations and designate required protective equipment and clothing for specific tasks. 2. Department heads and unit managers are responsible for providing required protective clothing and equipment for their employees, students, and visitors. 3. Supervisors and other individuals who are responsible for employees, students, and visitors must assure that the employees, students, and visitors are adequately informed about requirements for and proper use of protective work clothing and personal protective equipment and for enforcing such requirements. Supervisors are responsible for conducting a job hazard analysis for each employee to determine the need for protective clothing and equipment. 4. Employees are responsible for complying with requirements for use of protective work clothing and personal protective equipment. Failure to comply may result in corrective action as described in applicable personnel policies or collective bargaining agreements. 5. Department heads may elect to provide nonmandatory protective clothing and equipment, as long as there is equitable treatment of employees with similar duties. Departments shall notify Compensation Services if such a practice is instituted or changed. D. Maintenance and replacement 1. Employee mandatory protective work clothing and personal protective equipment must be maintained and replaced as necessary with departmental funds. 2. Department heads may maintain and replace nonmandatory protective work clothing and personal protective equipment as needed. 3. Items lost or damaged as a result of the employee's negligence must be replaced by the employee at the employee's own expense. 4. Protective work clothing must not be taken home for cleaning. 5. Departmental funds may be used to pay the cost of laundering personally owned, but administratively required, protective work clothing, provided it is not also worn as ordinary street dress. E. Ownership 1. Protective work clothing and personal protective equipment furnished by the University remain University property, except prescription lenses and sized safety shoes. 2. The use of identification on protective work clothing is encouraged and may be paid for with University funds. A. EH&S: 1. Reviews departmental purchase orders as requested to assure that clothing or equipment requested is in conformance with minimum standards identified by Federal, State, or University requirements. 2. Reviews employee-owned personal protective equipment as requested for conformance to minimum standards prior to its use. 3. Conducts noise surveys to determine if inclusion in the Hearing Conservation and Medical Surveillance Program is required. B. Departments: 1. Obtain safety goggles, face shields, and plano (nonprescription) safety glasses through the Central Storehouse. 2. Order prescription-ground safety glasses for employees by submitting a Departmental Purchase Order (D-M3) to the vendor or, at UCDMC, by completing a Purchase Requisition. An additional form available from Purchasing must be completed by the employee's physician or eye care professional and submitted with the Purchase Order or Purchase Requisition. 3. Order other personal protective equipment and protective work clothing through normal purchasing procedures. 4. Initiate Purchase Requisitions to request cleaning, special repairs, or replacement of protective work clothing and personal protective equipment owned by the University, or to establish clothing contracts with private vendors. 5. Initiate reimbursement to employees by preparing a DaFIS Direct Charge Document for costs of laundering, repair, or replacement (when authorized by policy) of an employee's own clothing or equipment damaged in the line of duty, and submitting it to Accounting & Financial Services, supported by a copy of the paid invoice, receipt, or other documentation of the expense incurred by the employee. For further information concerning protective work clothing and personal protective equipment, contact EH&S on campus (530-752-1493) or at UCDMC (916-734-2740). VI. References and Related Policy A. Personnel Policies for Staff Members, Policy and Procedure 35, Protective Clothing, Equipment, and Uniforms. C. UC/Union Collective Bargaining Agreements. Copyright © 2006 The Regents of the
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