How to Comply with OSHA's New PPE StandardHow to Comply with OSHA's New PPE Standard

Starting this month, the agency will require construction employers to provide workers with properly fitting safety gear.

Construction Dive

January 22, 2025

1 Min Read
Construction workers in hard hats and safety equipment on jobsite
kali9/E+ via Getty Images

Personal protective equipment has to fit for two primary reasons, according to Jessica Bunting, director of research to practice for Silver Spring, Maryland-based CPWR—the Center for Construction Research and Training.

First, to work properly, gear needs to fit properly. A poorly fitted fall harness will not protect a worker nearly as well as a well-fitted harness, Bunting said. Second, gear that is too big or too small can end up creating secondary hazards, such as a baggy vest getting caught in machinery, she said.

Perhaps worse, if gear is too uncomfortable, workers may forgo wearing it at all, such as doffing loose gloves that impede work.

Starting Monday, OSHA will require construction employers to provide properly fitting PPE to their workers. The new standard aligns construction with a rule already in place for general industry.

“I’m glad that OSHA is acknowledging that in order for PPE to work, it has to fit,” Bunting said.

The rule, first announced in July 2023, applies to all kinds of PPE, such as hard hats, gloves, goggles, safety vests and harnesses. To comply with the rule, experts say contractors should read up on the standard, consult their lawyers and safety teams and ensure they have a wide variety of safety gear options.

Related:How Contractors Plan for Cold Weather Safety

To read the full article from our sister publication Construction Dive, click here.

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