Standards governing use of chemicals in the workplace or use of certain types of machinery may require you to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect your employees in certain circumstances, such as:

Emergency Action: You must comply with blood borne pathogen exposure regulations and exposure prevention requirements for any employee who provides emergency first aid and provide any other equipment that employees need to handle emergencies.
Fire Prevention: No PPE is required, but standard fire protection equipment, such as fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarms, is required.
Work Surfaces, Control Devices and Emergency Equipment standards: Not unless another standard also applies, such as standards pertaining to working with chemicals, projectiles or machinery.
HAZCOM: Not unless another standard also applies, such as standards pertaining to working with chemicals, projectiles or machinery.
Ergonomics: PPE is required only as a supplement to engineering and administrative controls. Engineering controls include workstation redesign and adjustable fixtures; administrative controls include job rotation and work pacing.

Other circumstances involve providing PPE such as gloves, masks, lead aprons, hard hats and keyboard wrist rests for your employees to help prevent injuries and illnesses. Take the following steps to determine what your employees need to work safely.

Evaluate your workplace for PPE needs. Consider all of the jobs, processes and operations employees will perform, both day-to-day and in an emergency. The following list provides examples of evaluation questions:

Do your employees handle, or are they exposed to, chemicals or blood borne pathogens?
Do your employees perform tasks that require repeating the same bodily motions?
Do your employees work in areas with falling items, flying projectiles or heavy machinery?
Do your employees lift heavy or cumbersome objects?
Do your employees work in areas that require forceful exertion to perform tasks?

Document the situations that require your employees to use PPE. Identify what PPE items you will supply.
Provide and maintain PPE for all employees exposed to hazards.
Perform periodic inspections.

Make sure PPE is in good working order and readily accessible.
Verify that employees use PPE properly and consistently.

You cannot charge employees for the use and cost of PPE.

PPE Requirements for Health Care

Public and private employers of workers in a hospital must supply certain employees with personal protective equipment (PPE), maintain a three-month stockpile of PPE and provide inventory information to Cal/OSHA upon request.

Additionally, health care employers must maintain an inventory of new, unexpired PPE for use in the event of a declared state of emergency, including:

Clinics;
Health facilities; and
Home health agencies.

The inventory must be sufficient for at least 45 days of surge consumption.

Creating a Workplace Safety Plan

Providing Personal Protective Equipment

PPE Requirements for Health Care

Creating a Workplace Safety Plan