I came across this question: Which of the following personal protective equipment must an employer pay for?
The first thing that came to my mind was a form of counter question – Is there Personal Protective Equipment that an employer must not pay for?
Payment Exceptions under the OSHA Rule
As a general rule – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers protect their employees from workplace hazards that can cause injury or illness. However, when engineering, work practice, and administrative controls are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, employers must provide personal protective
equipment (PPE) to you and ensure its use.
There are some exceptions to this rule, here are some exceptions:
Employers are not required to pay for some PPE in certain circumstances:
- Non-specialty safety-toe protective footwear (including steel-toe shoes or boots) and nonspecialty prescription safety eyewear provided that the employer permits such items to be worn off the job site. (OSHA based this decision on the fact that this type of equipment is very personal, is often used outside the workplace, and is taken by workers from jobsite to jobsite and employer to employer.)
- Everyday clothing, such as long-sleeve shirts, long pants, street shoes, and normal work
boots. - Ordinary clothing, skin creams, or other items, used solely for protection from weather,
such as winter coats, jackets, gloves, parkas, rubber boots, hats, raincoats, ordinary
sunglasses, and sunscreen - Items such as hair nets and gloves worn by food workers for consumer safety.
- Lifting belts because their value in protecting the back is questionable.
- When the employee has lost or intentionally damaged the PPE it must be replaced.
So when I saw this question “Which of the following personal protective equipment must an employer pay for?” on brainly and as a Health and Safety professional, I felt I should put things in perspective:
Before I point out some things, let me recap the options that were provided and the answers given:
Options
A. A hard hat that the employee intentionally smashed with a hammer
B. Steel-toe boots that must be left in the employee’s locker when he or she is not working
C. Steel-toe boots that the employer allows to be worn off the job site
D. Sunscreen
Answer
In summary, the employer must pay for:
– B: Steel-toe boots that must be left in the employee’s locker.
– C: Steel-toe boots that can be worn off the job site.
– D: Sunscreen for outdoor employees.
In conclusion, options B, C, and D are all scenarios where the employer is responsible for covering the cost of the equipment, while A is not, due to the employee’s intentional damage.
Putting the question in perspective –
Which of the following personal protective equipment must an employer pay for?
There are no other exceptions for which an employer can be exonerated from paying for Personal Protective Equipment for their employees, aside from the exceptions stated in this article.
Even if the employee destroys it intentionally, an investigation should be carried out to understand WHY. That should not be a baseline to withdraw PPE from such employees; any accident reported based on the decision will still be considered negligence on the part of the employer.
On May 15, 2008, a new OSHA rule about employer payment for PPE went into effect, OSHA requires employers to pay for personal protective equipment used to
comply with OSHA standards.
The standard makes clear that employers cannot require workers to provide their own PPE and the worker’s use of PPE they already own must be completely voluntary. Even when a worker provides his or her own PPE, the employer must ensure that the equipment is adequate to protect the worker from hazards at the workplace.
Examples of PPE that Employers Must Pay for Include:
- Metatarsal foot protection
- Rubber boots with steel toes
- Non-prescription eye protection
- Prescription eyewear inserts/lenses for full-face respirators
- Goggles and face shields
- Firefighting PPE (helmet, gloves, boots, proximity suits, full gear)
- Hard hats
- Hearing protection
- Welding PPE
Related Posts
What Is PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
What are the Essential Heat PPE Items for Workplace Safety
What Does PPE Stand For In Medical Terms?
Who is Responsible for Providing PPE in the Workplace
19 Proven Reasons Why PPE Is Important
