Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standard - 29 CFR 1910.132
In Reply Refer To:
1112 (950) P December 19, 2018
EMS TRANSMISSION: 12/19/2018
Instruction Memorandum No. WY-2019-004
Expires 9/30/2022
To: All Employees
From: Associate State Director
Subject: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standard - 29 CFR 1910.132
Program Area: Safety and Occupational Health
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming policy for the purchase of PPE, protective outerwear, and Fire Resistant Clothing (FRC) for BLM Wyoming employees. BLM policy and OSHA regulations require that the BLM purchase all standard types of necessary PPE for its employees, at Government expense. The purchase and use of PPE (including protective outerwear) is limited to employees whose Risk Assessment (RA) specifies identified/mandated PPE for the safe completion of work tasks and/or operations. The State Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Program Manager must approve all PPE purchases as outlined in BLM Safety and Health Management Manual Handbook H-1112-1, Chapter 19 – Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment. This authority is delegated to the District Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Program Managers or Field Office Collateral Duty Safety Officer (CDSO) if either the State or District OSH Manager is not available. This authorization and delegation is per the BLM Manual H-1112-1, Chapter 19 (see attachment 1.)
Administrative or Mission Related: Mission Related
Policy/Action: Protective outerwear clothing/footwear and PPE are expendable, and once worn become the responsibility of the employee to maintain in a serviceable condition. Once an item is deemed unserviceable by the supervisor, it shall be replaced before the employee returns to a given job or area that requires the safety items to be worn. The BLM will provide protective outerwear and PPE to the employee, at the government’s expense. If any article of clothing or gear (such as helmets) comes in direct contact with the employee’s skin (this includes footwear even if socks are worn); the clothing or PPE must not be reissued to a different employee due to health concerns. Wildland fire compliant flame resistant clothing PPE (e.g. Nomex) that is laundered and is part of a unit’s fire cache is an exception to this reissue policy following the Interagency Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations (Red Book).
The Wyoming Leadership Team, the State OSH Program Manager, and the State Business Manager have established cost ceilings on the purchase of PPE, e.g. prescription safety glasses, standard field safety boots, composite-toed safety boots, insulated coveralls, and fire resistant clothing. These ceiling costs are subject to annual adjustments according to the retail market and with approval from the Wyoming Leadership Team. A current approved and signed copy of the micro-purchase request form and RA must accompany the purchase receipts/documentation; for all PPE provided without cost to the employee. As long as there is a current/signed RA on file with the State or District OSH Program Manager, the RA does not have to accompany the documentation.
Cost ceilings are as follows:
- Prescription Safety Glasses – $300 per year per employee (only replaced if no longer serviceable.) If an employee has an exceptional prescription, the senior manager on location (such as the District or Field manager) may approve (in writing) any additional costs. This amount only covers the glasses (not the exam.) The glasses must meet ANSI Z87.1 standards and have side shields (fixed or removable.)
- Safety boots – $325 per year, per employee (only replaced if no longer serviceable.) This will allow for up to two (2) pairs of boots (summer and/or winter, water resistant, field, or safety capped.) If the employee has a crush hazard identified on the RA, composite-toed boots are required. Steel-toed boots are not allowed per BLM manual (H-1112-1), Chapter 19.D.3.e. Foot Protection. The employee may supplement this amount with personal funds. Please note that wildland fire boot stipend guidance exists separate from this policy (reference FA-IM-2012-006) and additional wildland fire boot guidance is outlined in the Red Book, Chapter 7. However, if fire personnel are working on projects outside of wildland fire operations, this standard applies for general field duties and in most cases there are crush hazards present.
- Non-Fire Resistant Clothing (non-FRC) insulated coveralls, bib overalls, and/or protective outerwear jacket – up to $200 per clothing item, per year, per employee (only replaced if no longer serviceable.)
- FRC: Approximately $1100 - $1500 (initial purchase to fully outfit any employee working on/near Oil and Gas platforms and/or Oil and Gas operations, based on RA); annual replacement cost varies from $200 - $500 per person (depending upon local/on-line costs and only when the FRC is no longer in serviceable condition.) Personnel, who have purchase authority, shall only purchase FRC (no matter the brand name) with permanent tags/labels that state the garment meets NFPA 2112 requirements and UL testing standards.
Timeframe: This policy is effective immediately.
Budget Impact: No budgetary increase is expected to result from the initiation of this policy.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None
Coordination: State and District Occupational Safety and Health Program Managers, and the Wyoming Leadership Team.
Contact: Please contact Robin Wellhouse, State OSH Program Manager (acting) at 307-352-0350, for any assistance, questions, or concerns related to this policy.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Larry Claypool Jessica Camargo
Associate State Director State Director’s Office
Attachment
Safety Office Approval for Purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (1 p)
Distribution
Director (740) 1 w/o atchs
CF 1 w/atch