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Personal Protective Equipment Plan

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PDF Version of Personal Protective Equipment Plan

  1. Responsibility

    1. Supervisor

      It is the responsibility of the employee's supervisor to perform a hazard evaluation to determine the hazards which are present in an employee's workspace or are encountered during an employee's normal duties.  A hazard evaluation shall be performed whenever there is a significant change in the workplace or in an employee's regular duties.  The form needed to perform a hazard evaluation is located on the University's web site. (See Appendix A of this document.)   Environmental Health & Safety is available to provide assistance to supervisors upon request.

      It is also the supervisor's responsibility to:
      • provide site specific training in the proper selection, use, limitations, and care of PPE (with the assistance of EH&Son request)
      • ensure that his or her employees have received proper equipment as required by the results of the hazard evaluation
      • ensure that the employees have completed any required medical examinations prior to using PPE
      • ensure that all PPE is in a clean and reliable condition prior to use


    2. Department or Unit

      It is the responsibility of the employee's unit or department to cover any costs related to the use of PPE.  This may include, but is not limited to, the initial purchase of the equipment, fit testing, medical examinations, costs of training and training materials, service and maintenance, and associated supplies.  Additionally, departments shall keep all records regarding their compliance with this plan such as employee attendance at training sessions, certification of the completion of any required medical examinations, purchase and replacement dates of PPE, and any other pertinent information.  Departments' record keeping may also be audited periodically by EH&S.

    3. Environmental Health & Safety

      It is the responsibility of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) to provide assistance, on request, in performing hazard evaluations, reviewing hazard evaluations with the supervisor, and providing assistance in selecting adequate PPE.  In addition, EH&Sshall assist supervisors in providing any necessary PPE training and may periodically assist departments by reviewing compliance with this document and providing feedback, clarification, and other assistance as needed.

    4. Employee

      Lastly, it is the employee's responsibility to wear PPE as needed in order to perform his or her job safely, to provide daily care of the equipment, to attend training sessions as required, to inspect the equipment for wear or damage, and to report any damaged, old, or malfunctioning PPE to his or her supervisor immediately.


    For additional information on responsibilities, refer to The University of Rochester Human Resources Guide, policy number 158.

  2. Job Hazard Assessments

    It is each department’s responsibility to ensure that supervisors complete job hazard assessments (JHA) for their employees.  Job hazard assessments can be performed in many different ways, including the form in Appendix A. No matter how the department chooses to perform the JHAs, they must be documented and the department must certify in writing that the JHA was performed.

    The first step in performing a JHA is to determine the types of hazards that are likely to be found in the workplace.  A hazard is simply anything that is likely to cause an injury or an illness.  Hazards fall into three general categories:

    • Physical hazards are hazards that cause injury through some mechanical action.  Some examples of this could be heat burns, tripping, cutting or puncturing the skin, falling from a height, or being struck by a moving object.
    • Chemical hazards are those hazards that cause injury or illness through chemical actions or through the properties of the chemical.  Chemical hazards can have physical effects, such as being burnt by a fire caused by a flammable chemical, or they can have health effects such as causing chemical burns, or illnesses due to overexposure.  Material Safety Data Sheets are an excellent source of information on the hazards of the chemicals that are in your workplace.
    • Biological hazards are those hazards created by infectious diseases.  Examples of biological hazards would be Tuberculosis, HIV, Hepatitis-B, or any other disease that passes from person to person or animal to person through direct or indirect contact, or through laboratory procedures.


    Supervisors must document the physical, chemical, and biological hazards that may be present in the workplace, determine if PPE is needed, and communicate this information to his or her employees.  Information on potential hazards, good work practices, and PPE can be found in other places at the University of Rochester:

    • Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
    • Chemical Hygiene Plan
    • UCAR research grant reviews
    • Institutional Biosafety Committee
    • Tuberculosis Infection Control Plan
    • SOPs for laboratory chemicals


QUESTIONS? Contact EH&S at (585) 275-3241 or e-mail EH&S Questions.

This page last updated 4/1/2008. Disclaimer