Last week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued proposed revisions to its Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) standards for general industries.  These regulations, located at 29 U.S.C. § 1910.132, require employers to provide employees with eye, hand, foot, and other protective clothing and devices intended to reduce or avoid injuries.  The main purpose of the new rules is to update the PPEANSI and other referenced safety standards that supersede older references contained in the existing PPE rules.  In many cases, the new PPE rules rely on performance standards rather than references to particular kinds of protective equipment. standards to incorporate new

 

The new rules also propose to delete PPE requirements contained in OSHA’s ventilation, welding, cutting and brazing standards, replacing them with general performance language in the main PPE standard.  Interested parties have until July 16, 2007 to submit comments regarding the proposed PPE changes.  More information on the new standard can be found at www.osha.gov.