(A) To ensure the greatest possible protection for our employees in the workplace, the cooperative efforts of the city as well as our employees will help in establishing and maintaining a safe and healthful work environment. The Office of Administrative Services and the Safety Committee are responsible for:
(1) Performing a hazard assessment of the workplace to identify and control physical and health hazards;
(2) Identifying and providing appropriate PPE for the employees, some of which will be of no cost to the employee;
(3) Training employees in the use and care of the PPE;
(4) Maintaining PPE, including replacing worn or damaged PPE; and
(5) Periodically reviewing, updating and evaluating the effectiveness of the PPE program including a review of injury and illness records.
(B) Employees are responsible for:
(1) Properly wearing PPE;
(2) Attendance at training sessions on PPE;
(3) Care for, clean and maintain PPE; and
(4) Informing a supervisor of the need to repair or replace PPE.
(C) This subchapter represents the policy and procedures in regard to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as set forth by the city in compliance with the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA requires that many categories of PPE meet or be equivalent to standards developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The city is responsible for providing some categories at no cost to the employee. PPE that is supplied by the city must be used as opposed to employee-owned PPE.
(D) Personal Protective Equipment is defined as follows: Safety related devices which will protect the employee from workplace hazards such as machines, work procedures, hazardous substances, and interior structural firefighting that can cause injury. Examples of these types of safety devices are: safety glasses or goggles, face shields, hard hats, safety shoes, gloves, protective clothing, ear plugs and ear muffs.
(E) All employees of the city will be required to adhere to and comply with all safety guidelines and regulations that are expected of them. These guidelines are set down by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and are in no way flexible in their usage. Failure to comply with these safety regulations will result in disciplinary action which can range from a verbal warning to termination. Also, failure to comply with these safety regulations could negate any "worker's compensation" claim that an employee may have if it can be proven that the employee was not acting in accordance with the PPE safety policy and procedures.
(F) All employees will be issued the proper safety equipment for the job that they are performing at the time of assignment, or the department may choose to issue the equipment individually for the employee to keep in a personal locker or storage space. Either way, the supervisor is responsible for making sure that all employees have access to the appropriate equipment. If, for any reason, an employee does not have the proper safety equipment for an assigned job, the employee is to notify their supervisor immediately. DO NOT proceed to complete the assigned job without the proper safety equipment. Failure to notify a supervisor about the lack of proper PPE devices and continuing an assigned job will be seen as negligence on the part of the employee.
(G) All employees will be trained to know at least the following:
(1) When PPE is necessary;
(2) What PPE is necessary;
(3) How to properly put on, take off, adjust and wear the PPE;
(4) The limitations of the PPE; and
(5) Proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of PPE.
(H) Documentation of the training of each employee required to wear and use PPE will be recorded. It is in the best interest of the employee and supervisor to cooperate with one another in regards to personal protective equipment, as a good PPE program can greatly reduce the number of job-related accidents.
(I) Personal Protective Equipment can be broken down into areas of the body. The areas discussed in this document are labeled as:
(1) Eye and Face Protection;
(2) Head Protection;
(3) Foot and Leg Protection;
(4) Hand and Arm Protection;
(5) Body Protection;
(6) Hearing Protection; and
(7) Department Issue Protection.
(J) Each of these areas discussed will provide the employee with the description of a work environment that would require usage of personal protective equipment. The employee will also be given numerous examples of tool usage and job duties that would require the employee to wear a PPE. It is impossible to list every single job that an employee may run across where protective gear would be required, so the employee will need to communicate with his/her supervisor to determine if unlisted activities require a PPE. Once the supervisor has made the determination of whether or not the activity is subject to the PPE requirements the employee will be bound by that decision from that point on. In other words, if using a circular saw was not listed as an activity requiring safety glasses and the supervisor made it clear that the employee needed to wear safety glasses, then using a circular saw would be become bound under the PPE policy even though it wasn't listed in the initial policy. At this point it is the supervisor's responsibility to inform all employees about the new requirement and make documentation with signatures showing that they were informed.
(Ord. 49-2005, passed 11-8-05)