Provision and Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance

Policy Number ESC/HS – 013G Eff. From Aug 19

Version 1.00 Reviewed

Prepared by:- Debbie Leslie Date Aug 19

All East Sussex College Health, Safety and Welfare Procedures are covered under the overarching Health, Safety and Welfare Policy. Therefore this document should be read in conjunction with the Policy.

Policy Statement

East Sussex College recognises that in order to implement the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and other relevant statutory provisions, there may be areas of work within the College where risk cannot be adequately controlled other than by the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), either solely or in conjunction with other control measures.

This document provides guidance to staff with the responsibility for health safety and welfare of staff and for staff with responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of students for compliance with the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.

For the purpose of this Policy, PPE is defined in the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) as ‘all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects them against one or more risks to their health or safety’, eg safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses.

Further Guidance on PPE can be found in the following documentation: College Risk Management & Assessment Procedure Code of Practice and Guidance for the Control of Substances Hazardous To Health

Contents Page

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………… 3

2. Responsibilities………………………………………………………………………………… 3

3. What the regulations require.…………………………………………………………… 5

4. Assessing the risk – Is PPE required? .................................................... 5

5. Gloves………………………………………….............................................. 6

6. Use of disposable respiratory protection.............................................. 6

7. Examples of Processes Which May Require the Provision of PPE……… 7

8. Additional information……………………………………………………………………… 8

Appendix 1 Personal protection register……………………………………………………………… 9

1. Introduction

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Where it is deemed necessary by risk assessment that personal protective equipment is required, this PPE be provided free of charge to staff in accordance with current legislation and is provided to the appropriate specification for students to purchase directly from the college at induction and thereafter monitored by departmental staff.

Items not classed as PPE include:

a) Ordinary working clothes and uniforms which do not specifically protect the health and safety of the wearer against the hazards of a particular task.

b) Sportswearc) Cycle helmets or crash helmets worn by employees on the roads are not

covered by the Regulations. Motorcycle helmets are legally required for motorcyclists under road traffic legislation.

2. Responsibilities

It is a requirement of the college that the Health and Safety team must be contacted for advice and guidance if it has been identified that PPE is required. Further assistance must be sought if in addition to visible hazards requiring PPE, you identify levels of dust, noise, vibration, electricity, gas or fume which are not visible but may potentially be harmful if uncontrolled.

Directors

When personal protective equipment has been deemed necessary by risk assessment, adequate resources and support is given and the PPE Policy is implemented within their area of responsibility.

They will ensure that:

a) PPE will only be considered when the control of the hazards at source (identified by using the risk assessment process) is not reasonably practical.

b) risk assessments requiring the provision and use of PPE are documented and reviewed;

c) Funds are set aside and available from department budgets for purchase and replacement of PPE.

d) The Health and Safety team is contacted for advice and guidance when significant when carrying out risk assessment or during prototype or unfamiliar circumstances, levels of dust, noise or fume have been identified which may potentially be harmful.

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Heads of Department and Support Staff Supervisors

Must:a) Include within their general risk assessment the requirements for the use of

PPE in each assessed taskb) Implement the outcome of all risk assessments incorporating the provision

and use of PPE where risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means.

c) Ensure the PPE is selected by an assessment of the protection required, is appropriate for the hazard, is affixed with the CE mark and is compatible with other PPE required to control the overall risks.

d) Ensure the use of the record sheet in the departmental health and safety file for recording inspection, maintenance schedule, and records of dates of repair and/or replacement, and circumstances of any damage.

e) Ensure PPE is available, including spare units, in suitable sizes to fit all who require it (free of charge) and is maintained and replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

f) ensure that their staff understand the need for, and are issued with suitable PPE, and provided with information, instruction and training in its purpose, correct usage, maintenance and storage;

g) Ensure that good standards of hygiene are maintained in the use of PPE, and that where inappropriate for hygiene or welfare purposes, PPE is not shared.

h) Ensure that PPE is stored in suitable accommodation when not in use.

i) Ensure that all areas where PPE must be worn are clearly signed as such.

j) Ensure staff and students are wearing their PPE as identified in the risk assessment, and take appropriate action where this is not happening.

Please note in addition to the above all employees who are required to wear respiratory protection that relies on a face seal to work properly must be face fit tested (contact the Health and Safety team for information and advice) .

Lecturers/Teachers and Support Staff

Must:a) Use the PPE provided in accordance with the information, instruction and

training provided by the college.

b) Ensure learners under their care use the PPE provided in accordance with information, instructions and training.

c) Inspect PPE before each use and shall report loss or obvious defects to their line manager.

d) Ensure the PPE issued is correct for the hazard as assessed.

e) Return their PPE to the accommodation provided when not in use.4

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Students

Must:a) Use the PPE provided in accordance with the information, instruction and

training provided by the College.

b) Must only use that PPE which is specified by the college, not an alternative.

c) Inspect PPE before each use and shall report loss or obvious defects to their lecturer/teacher.

d) Return their PPE to the accommodation provided when not in use.

e) Report any issue where the PPE did not seem to be sufficient for the task

Defacing or deliberately damaging any equipment that is provided for your health and safety and that of others is a criminal offence and the College will not tolerate such behaviour.

3. What do the Regulations Require?

The main requirement of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 is that PPE is to be supplied and used at work wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways.

The Regulations also require that PPE is:-

a) properly assessed before use to ensure it is suitable;

b) maintained and stored properly;

c) provided with instructions on how to use it safely; and

d) Used correctly by employees.

4. Assessing the Risks – Is PPE Required?

During the risk assessment process all risks to health and safety should be identified and reduced to an acceptable level with consideration to the following points known as the hierarchy of controls:-

Eliminate the hazard, or

Substitute with a less hazardous work activity, product, service etc, or

Institute engineering and/or ergonomic controls, and/or

Initiate a safe system of work, and/or

Use PPE (as a last resort). This can be used in conjunction with other control measures or as an interim measure.

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When assessing risks additional information from manufacturers machine instructions and Safety Data Sheets should be used as these will advise whether PPE is required. When assessing Safety Data Sheets, the Health and safety department should be consulted for technical assistance during assessment of substances.

If PPE is deemed necessary by risk assessment as a requirement for a permanent activity e.g. safety boots in motor vehicle workshops, the correct signage must be placed in the appropriate area and be clearly visible to all. These signs can be identified by their blue and white colour and the requirement for using the PPE depicted is mandatory.

Failure to comply with health and safety regulation is a criminal law offence, and could also lead to disciplinary action being taken.

5. GlovesGloves that offer protection against chemical substances are given with what is known as ‘break through time’. This is the maximum time that the gloves will provide protection before starting to deteriorate

Some single use latex gloves contain natural rubber latex (NRL) proteins have the potential to cause asthma and urticaria. More serious allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis, are also possible. These proteins are covered under the COSHH regulations. To reduce this risk, low protein latex gloves must be used if no alternative product can be used provided that the risk assessment has sufficiently permitted this.

6. The Use of Disposable Respiratory Protection

The use of CE marked FFP1 is a low level protection filtering face piece, or disposable comfort/nuisance masks must not be used on any substance that is hazardous to health; therefore they should not be used for protection against fine dusts, welding fumes, asbestos, fine sand, paint spray, gases, vapours or aerosols. In addition, they should not be used for substances with a maximum exposure limit because the law requires that exposures to these be reduced as much as possible. This means they are unsuitable for protection against, hard or softwood dust or fume from rosin-based solder flux.

Only CE marked respirators (dust/vapour masks) are permitted to be used within the ESCG and only by written specification authorised by the Health and safety department.

Nuisance dust masks are not protective devices. They perform badly and do not have to meet basic health and safety requirements.

Similarly, comfort/nuisance masks should not be used to give protection from substances that cause occupational asthma but do not have occupational exposure limits. Examples include some dyes, enzymes and mould spores.

For general guidance all disposable respirators must be individually CE-marked. They are also marked to show the European standard, EN 149, and class, FFP1 (low

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efficiency), FFP2 (medium efficiency) or FFP3 (high efficiency). EN 149 indicates that the respirator conforms to British Standard EN 149:2001 Filtering half masks to protect against particles

The type and usage of any mask or respiratory protection must be determined through risk assessment.

7. Examples of Processes Which May Require the Provision of PPE

Examples of processes that may require the provision of PPE, subject to a risk assessment, include the following.

a. Head protection, e.g. safety helmets, bump caps.

to prevent injury from falling objects

Construction and building work, in the vicinity of scaffolding or overhead install or maintenance tasks.

b. Eye protection, e.g. eye shields, goggles, masks, prescription safety glasses (If appropriate).

Handling chemical substances which may be harmful, corrosive, irritant or toxic, e.g. acids, alkalis, cleaning substances.

Drilling or cutting.

Working with abrasive wheels or any drilling or cutting machine e.g. Drills, compressors, likely to eject particles.

c. Hand protection, e.g. industrial gloves. Handling cleaning substances or contaminated materials, where there

is a risk of dermatitis, damage to skin tissue, or infection.

During construction and outdoor work.

Where there is a risk of cuts or abrasions.

Where articles may be hot, cold or slippery.

d. Foot protection, e.g. safety shoes, Wellington boots.

To prevent injury from falling or over turning objects or equipment.

Where special slip-resistance is required.

Where there is a risk of sharp objects piercing the sole, e.g. nails on construction sites.

e. Body protection, e.g. protective aprons, high visibility waist coats.

Warm clothing when working outdoors in low temperatures.

High visibility clothing when working in the vicinity of moving traffic.

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f. Respiratory protection, e.g. half mask respirators

Dusts emitted during drilling, cutting, abrading, cleaning.

Fumes, vapours emitted by processes or during cleaning.

8. Additional Information

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg174.pdf A short guide to the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations

1992http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg330.pdfSelecting protective gloves for work with chemicalshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/e03003.htmHSE Warns against nuisance dust maskshttp://www.wahsa.co.uk/content/view/24/3/Work at Height Safety Association - for information on fall arrest systems

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Appendix 1PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT REGISTER

DEPARTMENT:

LOCATION:

NAME OF EMPLOYEE:

Equipment issued (tick) Signature for receipt

Issue date Review schedule Review date Review date

Overalls On request

Fleece On request

Gloves On request

Eye protection 6-monthly

Protective footwear 6-monthly

Respirators / filters 6-monthly or as required by RPE assessment

Hard hat / bump cap 6-monthly (auto renew 3-yearly)

Harness (full body) Inspected fully documented 6-monthly and before first use by trained users

Lanyard

Other(specify)

I understand that all PPE issued to me will be regularly checked at review dates by the health and safety coordinator. In the meantime it is my responsibility to ensure that I wear all equipment given to me at all times when it may protect my health and safety. I undertake to check my equipment on a regular basis and report all defects as soon as they occur, to the health and safety coordinator or my supervisor.

Signature of employee:

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