Workers across the country received added protection on the job from the Labor Department on November 14, 2007, when the department said a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule will take effect in six months. The new rule will force employers to pay for all personal safety equipment, also called PPE.

“When employers pay for PPE, they are more likely to select the right PPE for the hazards present in their workplaces,” said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant labor secretary for occupational safety and health. “When employers pay for PPE, we have found that they also make sure that the equipment is maintained and replaced as necessary, and generally take more responsibility for PPE selection and use.”

The rule, initially proposed in 1999, will cover the rest of the 95 percent of PPE costs employers already pay. The additional five percent will be approximately $85 million.

According to Foulke, employers won’t have to pay for ordinary safety-toed footwear, ordinary prescription safety eyewear, logging boots, and ordinary clothing and weather-related gear that can be worn off the job.

“America’s working men and women deserve the proper equipment to keep them safe on the job, each and every day, and we will thoroughly review this rule to make sure it protects them,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said.

Source: Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press, “OSHA taps employers for safety gear costs,” November 14, 2007.