Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor § 1915.152

but includes any deceleration device to withstand forces resulting from a slide distance or self-retracting life- fall. line/lanyard extension before the de- Rope grab means a deceleration device operates and fall arrest forces vice which travels on a lifeline and occur. automatically, by friction, engages the Lanyard means a flexible line of rope, lifeline and locks so as to arrest the wire rope, or strap which generally has fall of an employee. A rope grab usu- a connector at each end for connecting ally employs the principle of inertial the body belt or body harness to a de- locking, cam/level locking or both. celeration device, lifeline, or anchorage. § 1915.152 General requirements. Lifeline means a component con- (a) Provision and use of equipment. The sisting of a flexible line for connection employer shall provide and shall ensure to an anchorage at one end to hang that each affected employee uses the vertically (vertical lifeline), or for con- appropriate personal protective equip- nection to anchorages at both ends to ment (PPE) for the eyes, face, head, ex- stretch horizontally (horizontal life- tremities, torso, and respiratory sys- line), and which serves as a means for tem, including protective clothing, connecting other components of a per- protective shields, protective barriers, sonal fall arrest system to the anchor- personal fall protection equipment, and age. life saving equipment, meeting the ap- Lower levels means those areas or sur- plicable provisions of this subpart, faces to which an employee can fall. wherever employees are exposed to Such areas or surfaces include but are work activity hazards that require the not limited to ground levels, floors, use of PPE. ramps, tanks, materials, water, exca- (b) Hazard assessment and equipment. vations, pits, vessels, structures, or The employer shall assess its work ac- portions thereof. tivity to determine whether there are Personal fall arrest system means a hazards present, or likely to be system used to arrest an employee in a present, which necessitate the employ- fall from a working level. It consists of ee’s use of PPE. If such hazards are an anchorage, connectors, body belt or present, or likely to be present, the body harness and may include a lan- employer shall: yard, a deceleration device, a lifeline, (1) Select the type of PPE that will or a suitable combination of these. As protect the affected employee from the of January 1, 1998, the use of a body hazards identified in the occupational belt for fall arrest is prohibited. hazard assessment; Positioning device system means a body (2) Communicate selection decisions belt or body harness system rigged to to affected employees; allow an employee to be supported at (3) Select PPE that properly fits each an elevated vertical surface, such as a affected employee; and wall or window, and to be able to work (4) Verify that the required occupa- with both hands free while leaning. tional hazard assessment has been per- Qualified person means a person who formed through a document that con- by possession of a recognized degree or tains the following information: occu- certificate of professional standing, or pation, the date(s) of the hazard assess- who, by extensive knowledge, training, ment, and the name of the person per- and experience, has successfully dem- forming the hazard assessment. onstrated the ability to solve or re- NOTE 1 TO PARAGRAPH (b): A hazard assess- solve problems related to the subject ment conducted according to the trade or oc- matter and work. cupation of affected employees will be con- Restraint (tether) line means a line sidered to comply with paragraph (b) of this from an anchorage, or between anchor- section, if the assessment addresses any PPE-related hazards to which employees are ages, to which the employee is secured exposed in the course of their work activi- in such a way as to prevent the em- ties. ployee from walking or falling off an NOTE 2 TO PARAGRAPH (b): Non-mandatory elevated work surface. Note: A re- appendix A to this subpart contains exam- straint line is not necessarily designed ples of procedures that will comply with the

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requirement for an occupational hazard as- ing personal protective equipment sessment. (PPE), used to comply with this part, (c) Defective and damaged equipment. shall be provided by the employer at no Defective or damaged PPE shall not be cost to employees. used. (2) The employer is not required to (d) Reissued equipment. The employer pay for non-specialty safety-toe protec- shall ensure that all unsanitary PPE, tive footwear (including steel-toe shoes including that which has been used by or steel-toe boots) and non-specialty employees, be cleaned and disinfected prescription safety eyewear, provided before it is reissued. that the employer permits such items (e) Training. (1) The employer shall to be worn off the job-site. provide training to each employee who (3) When the employer provides is required, by this section, to use PPE metatarsal guards and allows the em- (exception: training in the use of per- ployee, at his or her request, to use sonal fall arrest systems and posi- shoes or boots with built-in metatarsal tioning device systems training is cov- ered in §§ 1915.159 and 1915.160). Each protection, the employer is not re- employee shall be trained to under- quired to reimburse the employee for stand at least the following: the shoes or boots. (i) When PPE is necessary; (4) The employer is not required to (ii) What PPE is necessary; pay for: (iii) How to properly don, doff, ad- (i) Everyday clothing, such as long- just, and wear PPE; sleeve shirts, long pants, street shoes, (iv) The limitations of the PPE; and, and normal work boots; or (v) The proper care, maintenance, (ii) Ordinary clothing, skin creams, useful life and disposal of the PPE. or other items, used solely for protec- (2) The employer shall ensure that tion from weather, such as winter each affected employee demonstrates coats, jackets, gloves, parkas, rubber the ability to use PPE properly before boots, hats, raincoats, ordinary sun- being allowed to perform work requir- glasses, and sunscreen. ing the use of PPE. (5) The employer must pay for re- (3) The employer shall retrain any placement PPE, except when the em- employee who does not understand or display the skills required by para- ployee has lost or intentionally dam- graph (e)(2) of this section. Cir- aged the PPE. cumstances where retraining is re- (6) Where an employee provides ap- quired include, but are not limited to, propriate protective equipment he or situations where: she owns, the employer may allow the (i) Changes in occupation or work employee to use it and is not required render previous training obsolete; or to reimburse the employee for that (ii) Changes in the types of PPE to be equipment. The employer shall not re- used render previous training obsolete; quire an employee to provide or pay for or his or her own PPE, unless the PPE is (iii) Inadequacies in an affected em- excepted by paragraphs (f)(2) through ployee’s knowledge or use of assigned (f)(5) of this section. PPE indicate that the employee has (7) This paragraph (f) shall become not retained the requisite under- effective on February 13, 2008. Employ- standing or skill. ers must implement the PPE payment (4) The employer shall verify that requirements no later than May 15, each affected employee has received 2008. the required training through a document that contains the following infor- NOTE TO § 1915.152(f): When the provisions of mation: name of each employee another OSHA standard specify whether or trained, the date(s) of training, and not the employer must pay for specific type of training the employee received. equipment, the payment provisions of that (f) Payment for protective equip- standard shall prevail. ment. (1) Except as provided by para- [61 FR 26352, May 24, 1996; 61 FR 29957, June graphs (f)(2) through (f)(6) of this sec- 13, 1996, as amended at 67 FR 44543, July 3, tion, the protective equipment, includ- 2002; 72 FR 64428, Nov. 15, 2007]

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