Workplace safety and OSHA
PPE: Hazard Assessment and Selection
How hazards are assessed, how eye, face, head, hand and foot protection is chosen, and how to wear and care for it
Awareness · 1 hour · Certificate does not expire
Personal protective equipment only works when it matches the hazard, fits the person and is worn correctly. This course explains how US OSHA general industry rules in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I get from a hazard to the right piece of equipment, and what you need to know to use it.
You will learn where PPE sits in the hierarchy of controls, what the workplace hazard assessment and its written certification under 29 CFR 1910.132(d) involve, and who pays for PPE under 1910.132(h). You will learn to choose eye and face protection under 1910.133 and read ANSI Z87.1 markings, select hard hats under 1910.135, choose gloves for cuts, chemicals and heat under 1910.138, and read safety footwear markings under 1910.136. The final module covers the training content in 1910.132(f): when and what PPE is needed, putting it on, taking it off and adjusting it, its limitations, and its care, useful life and disposal. Scenarios come from machine shops, composite trimming, brazing, metal fabrication and warehouse docks.
What this course does not do. OSHA requires each employee to demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly before doing work that requires it. Your employer must verify that in person with the PPE actually selected for your job, explain the results of your site's hazard assessment, and complete the written training certification under 1910.132(f)(4). Respirators (29 CFR 1910.134) and electrical protective equipment (1910.137) need their own programs and training and are only signposted here. State-plan states may have additional requirements, and employers outside the US follow their own regulations.
The course is for production, maintenance, warehouse and laboratory employees who use PPE, and for supervisors and team leads who issue it. No prior knowledge is needed.
The course closes with a 10-question examination drawn from a bank of 20. On passing you receive a PlanetISO Certificate of Completion for the online instruction, with lifetime access to the course. The certificate does not expire.
What people learn
- Explain where PPE sits in the hierarchy of controls and why higher controls come first.
- Describe the employer's duties under 29 CFR 1910.132, including the hazard assessment, its written certification and the rules on who pays for PPE.
- Choose suitable eye and face protection under 1910.133 and read ANSI Z87.1 markings.
- Select head protection under 1910.135 using ANSI Z89.1 types and classes, and inspect a hard hat.
- Choose gloves for cut, chemical and heat hazards under 1910.138 and read safety footwear markings under 1910.136.
- State the training elements in 1910.132(f), the retraining triggers, and why the employer must verify proper use in person.