OCM3 - Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Health and Safety Executive

OCM Personal protective equipment (PPE) Offshore COSHH Control approach 4 essentials Special advice

This information will help offshore What this sheet covers dutyholders (owners, operators and This sheet describes good contractors) to comply with the Control practice for selecting protective of Substances Hazardous to Health gloves, clothing and other Regulations 2002 (COSHH), as amended, to equipment protect workers’ health. Managing PPE This guidance consolidates good control 3 No material offers protection practice and reinforces existing knowledge against all chemicals. with additional information. It will help 3 Get safety data sheets for all you carry out COSHH assessments, review chemical products. existing assessments, deliver training 3 Put in place a management and in supervising activities involving system for the correct selection, substances hazardous to health. use and maintenance of PPE. 3 Make sure all PPE you require It is aimed at staff whose responsibilities can be worn and used together. include the management of substances 3 Control the provision and timely hazardous to health on offshore replacement of PPE. installations (eg occupational health Caution: PPE can reduce mobility, specialists, COSHH assessors, supervisors limit communication and increase etc). It is also useful for trade union and heat stress. employee safety representatives.

Protective gloves Following the guidance is not compulsory and you are free to take other action. But 3 Fill in the glove selection table below. Show it to your PPE if you do follow this guidance you will supplier. normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek 3 Only purchase protective gloves that are CE marked as to secure compliance with the law and ‘complex’ (category III) PPE. may refer to this guidance as illustrating good practice. 3 Involve employees in glove selection. Get a range of sizes – gloves must fit!

If you need a service provider (eg 3 Check if gloves might increase the risk of entanglement with machinery. consultant), OCM sheets describe what 3 Check if wearers have any skin conditions that might affect their wearing protective gloves. If so, consult an occupational health they should deliver. You may need help professional – see www.oshcr.org/. from a RPE supplier or manufacturer, or from an occupational hygienist. 3 If you must select latex gloves, use only ‘low protein, powder free’ gloves.

Also see essential information on the back 3 Avoid dipped gloves with knitted liners: chemicals can wick through and onto the skin in seconds. of the sheet.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) OCM3 Special advice

3 Gloves should not be used for more than one shift (12 hours). Caution: No glove is tested to give more than 8 hours’ protection against chemicals, and many will not achieve this. Wear, tear and stretching are not included in any glove tests. Determine a safe use period in consultation with the glove manufacturer.

Coveralls and aprons 3 Provide coveralls of fire retardant fabric. This includes disposable coveralls. Where dual layers are worn, both should be fire retardant, with the inner layer having a FR Index of 2 or more. 3 Clothing should be worn under coveralls to reduce skin contamination. Use FR or natural fibre garments instead of synthetic materials. 3 Select the right type of coverall for your work: Type 3 for heavy splashes, Type 4 for light spray, Type 5 for dusts, or Type 6 for light accidental contact. 3 Follow the manufacturers’ instructions for laundry and cleaning, if they indicate that such cleaning is possible. If not, dispose. 3 Discard disposable coveralls at the end of the shift or job. 3 Avoid laundering work wear at home. 3 Tell workers to empty the pockets. 3 Minimise compromising the fire retardance by following washing instructions.

Caution: Never use compressed air to remove dust from clothing, use vacuuming instead.

Eye and face protection 3 Select the right equipment depending on the hazard, eg impact, dust, mist, splash, fume, gas, vapour or optical radiation. 3 A full-face respirator also intended to provide eye and face protection must have the right aspects of performance (eg visor impact resistance level) included in its manufacturing specification.

Footwear 3 Select the right equipment: in addition to chemical resistance, necessary properties may include antistatic soles, resistance to crushing, heat or sharp spikes.

Hearing protection 3 Provide the right hearing protection, compatible with other PPE. Caution: Avoid over-protection.

Skin care 3 Provide pre-work creams to maintain skin condition and after-work creams to replace skin oils. 3 Avoid strong skin cleaners. Caution: ‘Barrier creams’ or ‘liquid gloves’ do not provide a full barrier.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) OCM3 Special advice

Using PPE Useful links 3 Provide facilities to keep clean clothing and dirty work clothing apart. Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register Protective equipment www.oshcr.org/ 3 Contamination continues to work through gloves, coveralls and Further information footwear, even while they are not being worn. Managing risks from skin 3 When taking gloves on and off, contamination can get inside the exposure at work HSG262 gloves. HSE Books 2009 3 Dispose of single-use gloves when they are taken off. ISBN 978 0 7176 6309 5 3 Dispose of chemical protective gloves at the end of their use period. www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/ After this they will be contaminated inside, even if they look clean. hsg262.htm 3 Check for deterioration of protective equipment. Skin at work Training www.hse.gov.uk/skin/ 3 Training covers: publications.htm n how to put on PPE properly, and to remove contaminated PPE; www.hse.gov.uk/skin/posters/ n how, where possible, to minimise contamination before removal; reusablegloves.pdf n use of disposable PPE only once;

n the necessity of washing hands after taking off PPE; and www.hse.gov.uk/skin/posters/ n how to dispose of contaminated PPE safely. singleusegloves.pdf 3 Keep training records. You can find the full Offshore COSHH essentials series at Essential information www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm OCM4 Respiratory protective equipment (RPE)

This guidance was developed by representatives from the UK offshore oil and gas industry and trade unions, with HSE.

© Crown copyright 2011 Published by the Health and Safety Executive 03/11

Personal protective equipment OCM3 Special advice

Glove selection: Information to help your PPE supplier

Job or activity

Chemicals in the substance (see safety data sheet)

Physical form gas/fume/vapour/dust/other

If solid, dustiness high/medium/low

If liquid, boiling point o C

If liquid, water-based yes/no

Temperature substance used at all o C

Task duration hours/minutes

Task – times done per day

Hand contact (worst case) dipped/splash/surface touch

How far does contamination get hand/forearm/above elbow

Any other hazards hot/cold/sharp/abrasive/electric shock

What range of glove sizes needed

Task needs – eg special sensitivity or dexterity