A final rule is expected to become effective in January regarding the use of personal protective equipment in the construction industry.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has said that the rule focuses on requiring that all such equipment must properly fit a construction worker who may need it on the job.
In a statement, Doug Parker, OSHA assistant secretary, said he has “talked to workers in construction, particularly women, who have spoken of personal protective equipment that didn’t fit or was simply unavailable at the job site in their size.”
“I’m proud of the broad support from both employers and unions for OSHA’s efforts to make clear that employers must provide the right PPE for each worker who needs it,” Parker added.
OSHA has maintained that besides lessening the effectiveness of protection, ill-fitting PPE can create new hazards for workers, pointing to such instances as too-large gloves getting stuck in machinery.
Ill-fitting PPE has also been seen as a problem for both physically smaller and larger workers.
OSHA originally proposed the PPE rule for the construction industry in the summer of 2023.
December 20, 2024
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Occupational Health and Safety Administration
