OSHA announces final rule on employer-paid PPE
Employers will be required to provide all personal protective
equipment (PPE) at no cost to employees, including healthcare
workers, under a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of
Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The rule also clarifies OSHA requirements regarding payment for
employee-owned PPE and replacement PPE. Exceptions to the rule
requiring employers to provide PPE include ordinary safety-toed
footwear, ordinary prescription safety eyewear, logging boots, and
ordinary weather-related clothing and gear, according to a Nov. 14
OSHA news announcement.
Enforcement won't begin until six months after the Nov. 15, 2007,
publication of the final PPE rules. OSHA said the grace period will
give employers time to change their existing PPE payment policies
to accommodate the new requirements. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/.