MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast

Episode #105 | Published August 28, 2023

OSHA’s new proposed clarification for PPE in the Construction standard reinforces that PPE MUST FIT. Failure to follow this simple statement is one the reasons why workers are injured when they believe they are protected. PPE shouldn’t just be provided, it MUST fit the worker properly to function as it was designed!

Joining me on the podcast to reveal the problems with poor fitting PPE and what can be done about it is Allison Short, Safety Management Consultant with MEMIC. 

Episode Resources:

• DOL Proposal for Clarification of the Construction PPE Standard, 1926.95:
  https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/07192023
• OSHA’s page on Women in Construction:
  https://www.osha.gov/women-in-construction/ppe
• NIOSH article on PPE Fit in the Construction Sector:
  https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2023/03/06/ppe-fit-construction/
• ASSP’s 2019 article on Fixing the Fit of PPE:
  https://www.assp.org/news-and-articles/how-can-we-fix-the-fit-of-personal-protective-equipment
• European Trade Union Institute article:
  https://www.etui.org/sites/default/files/ez_import/Hesamag_12_EN-34-37.pdf
• Business Insider article on Ukrainian uniforms:
  https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-rushing-women-uniforms-after-sizing-infection-complaints-military-war-2023-7
• Neurosurgeon Dr. Grunch’s tik tok video on radiation protection:
  https://www.tiktok.com/@ladyspinedoc/video/7246906972279377198
• The Center for Construction Research and Training – great list of vendors, by clothing type, for construction PPE: https://www.cpwr.com/research/research-to-practice-r2p/r2p-library/resources-for-stakeholders-and-researchers/construction-personal-protective-equipment-for-the-female-workforce/