• Employers must conduct a walk-through survey of the workplace to identify safety hazards and determine what PPE is needed.
• Employers must document in writing the results of the hazard assessment.
• OSHA’s Hazard Assessment at 1910.132 does not cover electrical or respiratory protective equipment; those are referenced in other sections of 1910.

Employers must assess any workplace to determine if hazards are present which necessitate the use of eye, face, head, foot, hand, and personal fall protection. (The hazard assessment provisions at 1910.132(d) do not apply to respiratory protection and electrical protective equipment.)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires a walk-through survey of the areas in question to identify sources of hazards. These dangerous situations may include:

• Sources of motion,
• Sources of high temperatures,
• Types of chemical exposures,
• Sources of harmful dust or light radiation,
• Sources of falling objects or potential for dropping objects,
• Sources of sharp objects which might pierce the feet or cut the hands and rolling or pinching objects which could crush the feet,
• The layout of workplace and location of coworkers, and
• Any electrical hazards.

Following the walk-through survey, employers should prepare an analysis of the hazards to enable proper selection of protective equipment. The analysis should include an estimate of the potential for injuries and should determine the type, level of risk, and seriousness of potential injury from each hazard found in the area. Employers should also consider the possibility of exposure to several hazards simultaneously.

What documentation is required for a hazard assessment?

Employers must verify that the assessment has been completed through a written certification:

• Identifying the workplace,
• Identifying the person certifying that the evaluation has been performed,
• Listing the date of the assessment, and
• Containing a statement which identifies the document as certification of hazard assessment.

If it is determined that hazards are present, employers must select protective equipment for employees and communicate the selection decisions to them.

Are there exceptions to the hazard assessment requirement?

OSHA’s PPE Hazard Assessment at 1910.132(d) does not apply to electrical protective equipment (1910.137) or respiratory protection (1910.134). Employers should reference each standard for requirements specific to equipment selection and hazard abatement.