OSHA publishes both a general standard for protective clothing and detailed recommendations for specific personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to protect your eyes, head, face, hands, feet, and other parts of your body.
Regardless of the design, material, convenience, and/or comfort of protective clothing, OSHA mandates that PPE provide protection against specific hazards present in a variety of industrial environments. While most employers closely follow the standards set by OSHA and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), don’t take their compliance for granted.
Become familiar with the protective clothing standards set by OSHA because avoidable injury protection is paramount where your body is concerned. Visit the OSHA website, identify your industry, and read the industrial safety standards for PPE that have been published. Remember, there are often different requirements depending on the nature of the potential threats you might face. For instance, standards for protective clothing if you face potential falling objects can be quite different from those stated if you face primarily chemical hazards instead. General OSHA requirements for protective clothing can be found in section 1910.132 of the Act. You can then move on to standards set for specific PPE items.
