OSHA Changes Rule, Mandates for Proper-Fitting Personal Protective Equipment

Biden administration Labor Dept. changes rule for vests, hardhats, gloves as one of its last acts

Skanska employees tested vests and gloves for field use fit and durability.

Photo Courtesy Skanska

The U.S. Dept. of Labor announced Dec. 11 that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has finalized a revision to the personal protective equipment standard for construction. The final rule explicitly requires the equipment to properly fit any construction worker who needs it as protection against hazardous conditions.

"I’ve talked to workers in construction, particularly women, who have spoken of personal protective equipment that didn’t fit or was simply unavailable at the jobsite in their size," Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said in a statement. “PPE must fit properly to work. I’m proud of the broad support from both employers and unions for OSHA’s efforts to make clear that employers must provide the right PPE for each worker who needs it."

The final rule updates the PPE standard for construction (29 CFR 1926.95(c)) and adds language requiring that employers provide PPE that properly fits construction industry workers. The change aligns the construction standard with the standard already in place for several other industries, OSHA said in its statement.

The statement also said improperly sized PPE, which includes everything from high-visibility vests, gloves, harnesses to tie in when working at height or even head-protecting helmets, can be ineffective in protecting workers and can create new hazards for the worker—such as oversized gloves or protective clothing being caught in machinery, for example—and can discourage use because of discomfort or poor fit. OSHA said the matter has been a longstanding industry safety concern, particularly among women as well as among physically smaller or larger workers.

With more women joining contractors' workforces in recent years, unisex PPE, or ones designed specifically for men, has been a hazard previously covered by ENR.

“If someone doesn’t feel safe or doesn’t have the tools or equipment they need to do their job, it’s going to be very difficult to keep them engaged and feel like they’re going to succeed on the jobsite,” Allison Scott, director, Autodesk Construction Solutions said in 2019. “We think there’s an opportunity here to talk about safety, and specifically safety equipment for women.”

The construction software company previously partnered with the Associated General Contractors to create a grant program to provide AGC members with funding to purchase safety harnesses suitable for women.

ENR Associate Technology, Equipment and Products Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 20 years. He is a five-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously wrote about construction technology for Structural Engineer, CE News and Building Design + Construction. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.