Use of PPE

							                               Anglia Ruskin University
                             Risk Management Department



Title    Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment
         (PPE)

Reference Number                                                AR-RMD-HSMS21

DOCUMENT HISTORY


Issue        Date                                     Details

 0.1        Nov-01     Draft for Review, Customisation and Adoption

                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective
 1.0        May-02
                       Equipment
                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective
 2.0        May-04     Equipment
                       Review for new Vice Chancellor
                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective
 3.0        May-05
                       Equipment (PPE)
                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment
 4.0         Jan-06    (PPE) [ Change of Name]

                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective
 5.0        Jan - 07   Equipment
                       (Review for new Vice Chancellor)
                       Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective
 6.0        Jan - 08
                       Equipment



Author         Name: P. Varley


Reviewer       Name: HSPG


Authorised     Name: M. Thorne
by                   Vice Chancellor

Issued by      Name: Risk Management
                     Department




AR-RMD-HSMS21/Issue 6.0                                                       Page 0 of 4
January 2008
                                   Anglia Ruskin University
                                 Risk Management Department


                                      Executive Summary
         Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment
                                    AR-RMD-HSMS21


It is the Policy of Anglia Ruskin University that personal protective equipment (PPE) should
only be used as a last resort, when the risk of a hazard materialising cannot be adequately
controlled by any other means (elimination, substitution etc). PPE includes protective
clothing (overalls, laboratory coats, gloves, safety footwear etc) as well as equipment such as
protective eyewear, safety harnesses etc. The need for PPE for a specific task is determined
via a risk assessment (see AR-RMD-HSMS22) of the task, which may include a CoSHH
Assessment where hazardous substances are involved. Where PPE is required it should be
made readily available and maintained in good condition.

Although the originating legislation applies only to employees, Anglia Ruskin University
does have a duty to non-employees under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act
1974. Therefore, if a need for PPE has been identified for staff, an equivalent standard of
protection should be provided for students, contractors and visitors.




Originating Legislation:
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999
Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002
Other relevant documents:
Health and Safety Management System
Risk Assessment                                                            AR-RMD-HSMS22
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, Policy and Guidance             AR-RMD-HSMS26
Guidance Notes
Personal Protective Equipment                                               AR-RMD-GN26



AR-RMD-HSMS21/Issue 6.0                                                             Page 1 of 4
January 2008
                                Anglia Ruskin University
                              Risk Management Department

    Selection, Issue, Use and Maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment

Policy

Anglia Ruskin University is committed to ensuring that all its employees are
consistently provided with a level of competent Health and Safety management
appropriate to the degree of risk associated with their activities.

Anglia Ruskin University will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the risks
to the Health and Safety of staff, students and visitors will be managed in compliance
with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous
Amendments) Regulations 2002 and other appropriate regulations and guidance.

With regard to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Anglia Ruskin
University will adopt the provisions of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work
Regulations 2002 as setting minimum standards.

To comply with the relevant legislation and guidance, Anglia Ruskin University will:

   Appoint competent persons, within the Risk Management Department (RMD), to
    assist Anglia Ruskin University in understanding, coming to terms with and
    complying with the Regulations
   Clearly define the role of all personnel in order to help them to effectively meet
    their responsibilities within the University Health and Safety Management System
    (HSMS)
   Ensure that all staff are suitably trained to deal with the Health and Safety issues
    relevant to their position
   Provide suitable and sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision
    to all relevant staff, students and visitors
   Ensure effective liaison with local authorities and other external bodies where
    appropriate
   Require risk assessments to be carried out to determine the necessity for PPE,
    which shall only be used as a last resort when the risk of a hazard materialising
    can not be controlled by any other means

Application

It is the policy of Anglia Ruskin University to provide staff, students, contractors and
visitors with appropriate safe plant and equipment and safe systems of work, as
determined by risk assessments (see AR-RMD-HSMS22). However, if these
measures cannot provide adequate levels of protection to employees, students,
contractors or visitors then it is the policy of Anglia Ruskin University to provide the
relevant personnel with appropriate PPE and require those people to wear it.

This policy document applies to those in Managerial positions (i.e. Faculty Deans and
Heads of Non teaching departments and their Managers and Supervisors) as their
duties include ensuring that the requirement for PPE is determined via the risk
assessment process (see AR-RMD-HSMS22).

AR-RMD-HSMS21/Issue 6.0                                                        Page 2 of 4
January 2008
                               Anglia Ruskin University
                             Risk Management Department



Requirements and Responsibilities

1. The Vice Chancellor has overall responsibility for the establishment, ongoing
   development, implementation, monitoring and review of the HSMS

2. The Health and Safety Policy Group (HSPG) have been delegated operational
   responsibility for planning and guiding the ongoing development, implementation,
   monitoring and review of the HSMS, including this procedure

3. The Faculty Deans and Heads of Non teaching departments are responsible for:

      The implementation of this procedure within their area of responsibility
      Identifying the required level of general Health and Safety competency
       required by their Managers
      Ensuring that there are arrangements in place to provide appropriate
       information to members of staff, students, visitors etc
      Ensuring that suitable and sufficient risk assessments are carried out for all
       tasks/processes/pieces of equipment etc within their area(s) of responsibility,
       as per the Risk Assessment chapter of the HSMS (AR-RMD-HSMS22)
      Ensuring that, where a risk assessment highlights the requirement for PPE, a
       formal assessment is made of the suitability of each item of PPE to adequately
       control the level of risk identified by the risk assessment. A record shall be
       kept of this assessment and shall identify that:
        Options other than the use of PPE have been considered
        The key characteristics necessary to provide an adequate degree of
           protection have been defined and appraised
        User representatives participated in the selection process
      Issuing appropriate items of PPE, or making them readily available within the
       local area
      Ensuring that there are appropriate arrangements for the storage, protection,
       inspection, maintenance, cleaning and disposal of PPE
      Ensuring that records are kept of PPE inspections, maintenance and cleaning
      Ensuring that, for each item of PPE selected and issued, users are trained in the
       correct use and, if appropriate, maintenance of the PPE. This training shall
       include information on:
        The risks that will and will not be controlled
        The performance limitations of the PPE provided
        The precise circumstances when the PPE must be used
        The consequences to health or risk of injury if not used
        The cleaning, repair, maintenance and replacement requirements and
           procedures
      Ensuring that staff, students, contractors and visitors, when required to do so,
       wear all provided items of PPE
      Monitoring the requirement for PPE and arranging suitable stock levels of
       designated PPE to be made available to users, both for planned replacements
       and in reaction to sudden demands, e.g. for visitors or temporary workers


AR-RMD-HSMS21/Issue 6.0                                                       Page 3 of 4
January 2008
                              Anglia Ruskin University
                            Risk Management Department

      Ensuring that users check PPE before each use to ensure that it is in good
       condition
      Providing a report each semester to the HSPG, in order to aid their review of
       the HSMS

   Note: The Faculty Deans/Heads of Non teaching departments may delegate the
   above tasks to specific Managers, within their area of authority, as appropriate.
4. The RMD are responsible for:

      Providing support to all staff required to manage or use PPE, if requested and
       appropriate
      Carrying out internal audits on compliance with all HSMS documents, as per
       the document on Health and Safety Management System Audits (AR-RMD-
       HSMS08)

References

Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002
Personal Protective Equipment (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 1996
Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002




AR-RMD-HSMS21/Issue 6.0                                                    Page 4 of 4
January 2008