PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
POLICY & PURPOSE
Zoetis Union City policy is to provide personal protective equipment to workers in areas where chemical and/or biological hazards are present, or where conditions pose hazards that cannot otherwise be controlled.
This Plan defines the process for issuing personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers. This Plan complies with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for PPE established in Title 8 CCR Sections 3380–3385, and related regulations, and serves as guidance for supervisors and managers to understand the process by which OSHA regulates this program.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) requires that the workplace be assessed for hazards and that the hazard evaluation must review engineering and administrative controls before issuing PPE. When workplace hazards cannot be eliminated or controlled by engineering and administrative measures, then PPE is issued to workers by the employer as a primary barrier against exposure to hazardous materials or hazardous conditions. Area supervisors and the EH&S department will work together to determine PPE requirements for each work area.
TRAINING
OSHA requires that colleagues who are issued PPE must be trained in its application and proper use, and must be instructed in how to maintain, repair, and safely store their equipment.
OSHA requires that each colleague who is issued PPE must be trained in the following:
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When PPE is necessary
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The type of PPE that is necessary
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How to properly wear and adjust the PPE
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The limitations of the required PPE
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The proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal of the PPE
Each colleague must demonstrate an understanding of this information and will be retrained when changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete, changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete, or if a colleague does not understand, or neglects to use it properly.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Definition
PPE is defined as attire, or devices that are worn to protect workers from exposure to hazardous materials or conditions. PPE is provided to protect workers from hazards, but also serves to prevent contamination of the product in work areas, for example in areas such as in Rotor Manufacturing.
Most of Zoetis Union City technical work areas require a lab coat or protective smock and gloves. Spit masks, hairnets and beard covers are also required for product safety. Some areas may require specialized PPE that are not used elsewhere.
Personal protective equipment shall meet the following provisions:
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Provided free of charge to colleagues
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Must fit each colleagueto whom it is issued
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Must be effective in controlling the hazard for which it is issued
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Must be cleaned or replaced as necessary
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Maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition
Evaluation of Equipment
Employers are also expected to evaluate the processes for which PPE is issued and to instruct colleaguesin the uses of protective equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Zoetis Union City is required to assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of PPE. If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, then the types and styles of PPE are evaluated to establish the following.
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Identify the colleagues who must wear the selected form of PPE. In many cases this will include all colleagues in a work location, while at other times it may involve a select group of colleagues
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Select the type of PPE and communicate the rationale and criteria for its selection to affected colleagues
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Ensure that PPE fits each colleague to whom it is issued
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Lab Coats & Smocks
Zoetis Union City provides lab coats for colleagues in many of its work areas. Each work area will decide whether cotton lab coats are provided or whether to issue disposable lab coats or smocks. Colleagues are issued 3 or more cotton lab coats, which are laundered off-site by a service. In some cases colleagues and/or visitors may be issued disposable lab coats.
There are many types of lab coats, including those with elastic cuffs or snaps instead of buttons, and different lengths to support different applications. If the standard lab coat is not effective for its intended application, talk to the EH&S department about alternatives.
Lab coats and smocks are intended to absorb small amounts of contaminants. Therefore, remove lab coats when leaving the work area or gowning area, and never wear PPE into a food handling or food storage area.
Safety Eyewear
If colleagues are working in locations where chemical or biological hazards are used then they are required to wear safety glasses to prevent eye exposure. Additionally colleagues who work with machine shop equipment, hand or power tools are also required to wear proper eye protection.
OSHA guidelines reference the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard (ANSI Z87.1-2003) for safety glasses.
Plastic, non-prescription safety glasses are provided in receptacles located outside the R&D Lab, in the QC Calibration Lab, Bead Room, and in the gowning room for Rotor Manufacturing and Labs, where they are required attire. Other areas, such as QC and Formulation Lab, provide safety glasses to individual colleagues.
Zoetis Union City also has a program for colleagues who require prescription safety eyewear. Please refer to EHS-0026 for details of the program.
The following guidelines are to alert colleagues of the different applications for different types of safety eyewear:
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Contact lenses are discouraged because in an emergency it may be difficult to flush the eyes or remove contacts before permanent eye damage occurs.
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Splash goggles must be worn when there is the reasonable chance that a chemical splash or spray can occur. These goggles are often used where workers handle large volumes of material or when there is a potential that a hazardous material can splash or spray a worker.
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Face shields protect the eyes, face, and neck from chemical splashes and spray, and from contact with flying particles. Face shields or splash goggles should be used when handling liquid nitrogen or when dispensing large volumes of bases or acids.
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Wear safety glasses when opening packages or unpacking containers with metal binding straps.
Gloves and Skin Covering
The type of gloves must be compatible with the materials being handled. Nitrile gloves are the most commonly used glove material for handling chemicals. Latex gloves are not recommended for chemical handling because most organic solvents, like alcohols, easily permeate latex gloves and expose the skin.
The following guidelines were developed to determine the types of gloves that are commonly used at Zoetis Union City:
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Disposable nitrile gloves are used for handling chemicals under standard conditions.
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Latex or nitrile gloves are best used for protection against biological agents or to prevent contamination from worker’s hands to products.
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Thermal gloves are made of thick polymer and fabric to prevent against burns from hot objects.
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Cryogenic gloves are for use with liquid nitrogen to protect workers from the injury risk of serious skin burns and potentially permanent skin damage.
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Gloves that protect the hands from cold temperatures are used when retrieving products from freezers and walk in refrigerators.
Note: In the lab, hands must be covered with gloves at all times.
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IT personnel must wear gloves when they work on computers in labs or other in hazardous materials handling locations to prevent against exposure from contaminated keyboards.
Safety Footwear
Foot protection shall be required for colleagues who may be exposed to electrical hazards, hot surfaces, falling objects, crushing or penetrating actions, or who are required to work in wet locations.
OSHA requires that safety shoes meet the standards for performance established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
Colleagues who work in labs and other locations where hazardous exposures are present are required to wear closed-topped and closed-heeled shoes that provide a barrier against chemical or impact hazards. Sandals, clogs, high-heeled, and other styles that are open topped are not allowed in labs and manufacturing areas. Those areas also have the authority to establish similar dress codes in order to protect the product, workers, or both.
Dust/Mist Respirators
Some work areas at Zoetis Union City provide dust/mist masks for colleagues who may be exposed to materials that may irritate the nose or mouth. These are used voluntarily basis only. Please not that these only protect against inhalation of non-toxic dust and mist, filtering only the largest particles of 1.0 micron (μm) or greater, and do not protect against gases, vapors, fumes, or smoke. OSHA recommends an N-95 respirator as the minimally protective device.
All face masks should be replaced whenever they are damaged, soiled, or cause discomfort to the wearer.
Hearing Protection
In areas of production where noise levels may exceed recommended levels, Zoetis Union City provides hearing protection in the form of in-ear or muff style.
Zoetis Union city regularly conducts noise studies to determine if any areas require the adoption of a formal Hearing Conservation Program.
According to CAL-OSHA, the action level requiring a formal Hearing Conservation Program is 85 dBA averaged over eight hours (equal to 50% Allowable Daily Dose (ADD)). All noise studies conducted to date have had results which are below the action level.
REFERENCE/RESOURCES
DOCUMENTS/LINKS
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OSHA Title 8 CCR Sections 3380–3385 Requirements for PPE
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ANSI Z87.1-2003 American National Standards Institute Practice for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye Protective Devices
eLEARNING
SUPERVISORS & SAFETY LEADERS - DEEPER DIVES
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Article - Holistic View of Eye Safety
GLOSSARY
Canister or cartridge
PPE, Air
A container with a filter, sorbent, or catalyst, or combination of these items, which removes specific contaminants from the air passed through the container.
Continuous Noise
PPE, Noise
Noise levels that vary with intervals of one second or less.
Decibels (dB)
PPE, Noise
A measure of the sound level (loudness). The decibel scale is a logarithmic scale; as an example, a 90 dB noise is ten times louder than an 80 dB noise.
Decibels, A-Weighted (dBA)
PPE, Noise
The A weighted is the scale used for most occupational noise measurements. The A weighting approximates the range of human hearing by reducing the effects of lower and higher frequency noises with respect to the medium frequencies.
Decibels, C-Weighted (dBC)
PPE, Noise
The C weighted scale filters include both high and low frequency noise and are used for impact noise and in the selection of hearing protection.
Demand respirator
PPE, Air
An atmosphere-supplying respirator that admits breathing air to the face piece only when a negative pressure is created inside the face piece by inhalation.
EH&S
PPE, Chemical, Tools, Electrical, Biosafety, PIT, IIPP, Fire, Emergency, ERT, STF, Vehicle, Violence, Ergo
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has the responsibility of maintaining safety for all workers at Abaxis as outlined in the Health & Safety Policy. Additionally EH&S acts as the conduit for compliance with laws of state & federal regulatory agencies regarding environmental protection, waste disposal, hazard control, and reporting of accidents/incidents at Abaxis.
Emergency
PPE, Chemical, Tools, Electrical, Biosafety, PIT, IIPP, Fire, Emergency, ERT, STF, Vehicle, Violence
1) Any potential occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment, which may or does result in a release of a hazardous substance into the workplace.
2) An unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that increases the threat to health, life, or property and calls for immediate action.
End-of-service-life indicator (ESLI)
PPE, Air
A system that warns the respirator user of the approach of the end of adequate respiratory protection, for example, that the sorbent is approaching saturation or is no longer effective.
Escape-only respirator
PPE, Air, Emergency Response, ERT
A respirator intended to be used only for emergency exit.