Personal Protective Equipment

Scope

This policy applies to Indiana University employees who:

• receive compensation; and
• work in any location on behalf of Indiana University where hazardous conditions may reasonably occur; and
• work in any activity that could reasonably pose a hazard to the individual and that requires the use of personal protective equipment.

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Policy Statement

Indiana University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS) is responsible for ensuring that all University departments comply with the standards established by this policy regarding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). IUEHS is designated to maintain standards related to PPE in order to comply with external requirements such as those set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). University departments must evaluate hazards and provide PPE in accordance with this policy and as necessary to minimize the risks to employees presented by the work environment. IUEHS has the authority to stop work on jobs where lack of compliance with this policy presents a danger to university employees.

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Reason for Policy

Indiana University will maximize the protection of individuals from workplace hazards. In many cases, risks can be eliminated or mitigated by the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). All PPE must meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards when required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or in accordance with the programs developed by Indiana University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS). Although individual units are free to go above and beyond the requirements of this document, compliance with this policy will ensure that a minimal level of protection is provided to all workers.

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Procedures

General
All University departments will complete a PPE hazard assessment utilizing information provided by IUEHS and submit the compiled information to IUEHS for their respective campus.

IUEHS will review the information and conduct follow-up investigations as necessary to determine the necessity for PPE in each department. IUEHS will maintain written PPE hazard assessments in compliance with the OSHA Standard.

PPE devices alone shall not be relied on to provide protection against hazards, but shall be used in conjunction with guards, engineering controls, administrative controls and sound safety practices.

Safety programs that provide for specialized protective equipment remain in effect and their requirements must still be complied with even if they are not specifically linked or mentioned in this policy.

The following factors shall be considered when selecting PPE:

• Chemical hazards
• Physical hazards
• Environmental conditions
• Task requirements
• Potential for PPE failure
• Maintenance requirements
• Interferences
• PPE durability
• Duration of use
• Regulatory requirements/certification
• User’s size and physical abilities (for fit, comfort and individual needs)
• User acceptance

Indiana University is not required by regulation to provide personal items, such as safety shoes, prescription safety glasses, and cold-weather outerwear, unless the use of such items is restricted to use only while on the job at Indiana University.

Appropriate PPE will be selected by the department with assistance from IUEHS if necessary (See “Related Information” section). 

The department may purchase the selected PPE from any vendor, in compliance with IU procurement processes. Exception: Prescription eyewear, in order for the University to pay for it, must be obtained from the University designated prescription eyewear provider. 

When an employee separates from Indiana University, any Indiana University purchased PPE shall be returned, unless otherwise granted permission by the department director or designee.

If an employee reports for work without required PPE, the employee shall not be allowed to perform the work that requires PPE until the PPE has been secured. Failure to have appropriate PPE when necessary can subject the employee to progressive disciplinary action in accordance with policies identified by Indiana University Human Resources located at www.hr.iu.edu/relations/uwide_ca_index.htm. 

Maintenance Schedules
PPE shall be inspected, cleaned and maintained by employees at regular intervals and as recommended by the manufacturer. Excluded from this requirement would be PPE that is laundered and maintained under contract with an outside vendor.  At a minimum, all PPE shall be discarded when it has become irreversibly contaminated, damaged, or has other integrity problems.

It is important to ensure that contaminated PPE which cannot be decontaminated is disposed of in a manner that protects employees from exposure to hazards while ensuring compliance with appropriate regulations. 

Disposable PPE shall be disposed of properly after use in accordance with governing programs for the contaminants being handled and shall not be re-used. 

Note: Inspect PPE before each use for tears, punctures, holes, cuts, cracks, embedded foreign objects and texture changes (e.g., swelling, softening, hardening, becoming sticky or inelastic).  

Responsibilities

• Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for:
  • Ensuring departments are aware of and monitoring compliance with the Indiana University Personal Protective Equipment Policy.
  • Providing consultation to departments in assessing the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of PPE;
  • Providing consultation on the selection and recommendation of PPE that properly fits each affected employee as requested;
  • Providing training in the proper use and care of PPE;
  • Reviewing aforementioned PPE hazard assessments; and
  • Reviewing, updating and evaluating the effectiveness of the PPE policy.
    
    
• Departments are responsible for:
  • Conducting specific PPE hazard assessments to determine hazards which necessitate the use of PPE and providing documentation to IUEHS;
  • Verifying that PPE hazard assessments have been performed;
  • Advising employees as to the required PPE for their job tasks;
  • Providing proper PPE as required;
  • Ensuring PPE is available;
  • Ensuring PPE is being used by each affected employee during all job tasks which require such protection;
  • Ensuring employees are properly trained on the use of the PPE;
  • Documenting purchase and distribution of all PPE;
  • Providing Environmental Health and Safety with the revised PPE hazard assessment when a hazard or process has changed that may render previously used PPE ineffective; and
  • Ensuring defective, damaged, or expired PPE is removed from use.
    
    
• Employees are responsible for:
  • Inspecting all PPE prior to each use;
  • Wearing PPE upon the direction of their immediate supervisor;
  • Participating in mandatory PPE training;
  • Notifying their supervisor when new PPE is necessary or of defective, damaged, or expired PPE; and
  • Notifying their supervisor of any changes which might impact the type of PPE they utilize. 

Specific PPE Requirements

The following programs, reflecting laws and regulations, must be adhered to, as appropriate to the particular situation:

IU Hearing Conservation Program

IU Personal Protective Equipment Program

IU Respiratory Protection Program

Training and Recordkeeping

Training

Initial Training
Initial training shall be provided by Environmental Health and Safety through E Training or by the appropriate department for each employee who is required to use PPE. Each employee shall be trained in at least the following:

• When PPE is necessary;
• What PPE is necessary;
• How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE;
• The limitations of the PPE; and
• The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE.

Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the aforementioned training and the ability to use PPE properly before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.

Retraining
When there is reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill as required above, Environmental Health and Safety or the affected department shall retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:

• Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete;
• Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete; or
• Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.

Recordkeeping
Indiana University Environmental Health and Safety and departments shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification. Records of PPE hazard assessments will be maintained by the respective department and IUEHS.

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Definitions

Administrative Controls: Methods of controlling employee exposure to hazards by means of operating procedures or work scheduling.

Contamination: The presence of an unwanted material that may cause injury or illness to an exposed employee.

Damaged: Change to PPE through event, wear-and-tear, and/or age which reduces its ability to provide the level of protection required under the governing American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards.

Employee: Any faculty member, staff member, or student who receives compensation from Indiana University for a job performance.

Engineering Controls: Methods of controlling employee exposure to hazards by modifying the source or reducing the quantity of contaminant released into the work environment.

Personal Protective Equipment: Devices worn by the worker to protect against hazards in the work environment. Examples are gloves, safety shoes, safety eyewear, hard hats, hearing protectors, and respirators.

PPE Hazard Assessment: An assessment of hazards in the workplace and selection tool for the appropriate PPE. 

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Sanctions

Failure to use the selected PPE in a proper manner can subject the employee to progressive disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.  Failure of the employee's supervisor to enforce the proper use of PPE subjects the supervisor to progressive disciplinary action, in accordance with University policies.

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Additional Contacts

EHS Campus Information 

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History

This policy was established in October 2014 and became effective on January 8, 2015.

In July 2024, references to the renamed IU Indianapolis campus were updated in this policy.

The policy was substantively reviewed by University Environmental Health and Safety and revised in October 2023.

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