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OSHA Arc Flash Requirements and Responsibilities

§ 1910.132 General requirements

1. Application. Protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers, shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or environment, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.
2. Employee-owned equipment. Where employees provide their own protective equipment, the employer shall be responsible to assure its adequacy, including proper maintenance, and sanitation of such equipment.
3. Design. All personal protective equipment shall be of safe design and construction for the work to be performed.
4. Hazard assessment and equipment selection.
   1. The employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall:
      1. Select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment;
      2. Communicate selection decisions to each affected employee; and,
      3. Select PPE that properly fits each affected employee.
         Note: Non-mandatory Appendix B contains an example of procedures that would comply with the requirement for a hazard assessment.
   2. The employer shall verify that the required workplace hazard assessment has been performed through a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated; the person certifying that the evaluation has been performed; the date(s) of the hazard assessment; and, which identifies the document as a certification of hazard assessment.
5. Defective and damaged equipment. Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used.
6. Training.
   1. The employer shall provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use PPE. Each
      such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
      1. When PPE is necessary;
      2. What PPE is necessary;
      3. How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE;
      4. The limitations of the PPE; and,
      5. The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE.
   2. Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the training specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.
   3. When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required by paragraph (f)(2) of this section, the employer shall retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:
      1. Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete; or
      2. Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete; or
      3. Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.
   4. The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification.
7. Paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section apply only to §§1910.133, 1910.135, 1919.136, and 1910.138. Paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section do not apply to §§1910.134 and 1910.137. [39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, as amended at 59 FR 16334, Apr. 6, 1994; 59 FR 33910, July 1, 1994]

§ 1926.28 Personal protective equipment

1. The employer is responsible for requiring the wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment in all operations where there is an exposure to hazardous conditions or where this part indicates the need for using such equipment to reduce the hazards to the employees.
2. Regulations governing the use, selection, and maintenance of personal protective and lifesaving equipment are described under subpart E of this part.