The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently reopened the rule-making record on employee personal protection equipment. OSHA has asked for further comments on how to determine the responsibility of employers and employees in providing such equipment.

"The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace for their employees," wrote Gene Barfield, president of the American Society of Safety Engineers, in a letter to the assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. "This mandate includes the financial obligation of employers to provide controls to address hazards that could cause injury or physical harm to their employees. As a result, most PPE should be provided by employers."

Personal protection equipment is intended to address hazards not otherwise controllable in the workplace, according to ASSE. "Employers correctly understand that their investment in proper PPE is an economic investment in productivity, as well as a means of ensuring that workers go home safe and healthy each day," said Barfield. "To drive home that investment, they have recognized that their own involvement in PPE provides the best opportunity to ensure proper and effective use of PPE on their job sites."