PPE Selection, Use, and Care
Selection, issue, inspection, and replacement of personal protective equipment based on a documented workplace hazard assessment, including required PPE by zone, donning and inspection practice, and employee training.
- Audience
- All warehouse employees, supervisors, and contractors working in operating areas
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- Revision
- 1
PPE Selection, Use, and Care: what is in the procedure
8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure establishes how personal protective equipment is selected, issued, worn, inspected, and replaced at the facility.
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies to every employee, temporary worker, contractor, and visitor in any operating area of the facility, and to every category of PPE issued here, including eye and face protection, hand protection...
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedThe program owner performs and certifies the written workplace hazard assessment, reassesses when a process, chemical, or piece of equipment changes, and selects PPE that protects against the identified hazards.
- 04
Procedure: Hazard Assessment and Selection
Fixed1. Walk each work area and each task, and identify the hazards present: impact, penetration, compression, chemical splash, heat, harmful dust, light radiation, noise, and struck-by from moving equipment.
- 05
Procedure: Inspection, Donning, and Daily Use
Customized1. Inspect PPE before each use: lenses free of deep scratches and cracks, frames intact; gloves free of cuts, holes, thinning, and chemical degradation; footwear with intact toe caps, sound soles...
- 06
Procedure: Replacement and Training
CustomizedReplace PPE immediately and at no cost to the employee when it is cut, cracked, punctured, chemically degraded, contaminated, no longer fits, has lost its protective marking...
- 07
Exception Handling: Missing, Damaged, and Contested PPE
CustomizedNo employee performs work requiring PPE without that PPE.
- 08
References
Fixed29 CFR 1910.132 Personal protective equipment, general requirements.
Regulatory references
PPE Selection, Use, and Care: 29 CFR 1910.132(d)
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.132(d) | Personal protective equipment: hazard assessment and equipment selection | The employer must assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present that necessitate the use of personal protective equipment, select and have each affected employee use the types of PPE that will protect against the identified hazards, communicate selection decisions to each affected employee, and verify that the required assessment has been performed through a written certification. |
| 29 CFR 1910.132(a) | Personal protective equipment: application | Protective equipment must be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever hazards of processes or environment are encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. |
| 29 CFR 1910.132(e) | Personal protective equipment: defective and damaged equipment | Defective or damaged personal protective equipment must not be used. Under paragraph (h), the employer provides PPE at no cost to the employee, subject to the exceptions in that paragraph, including (h)(5) for equipment the employee has lost or intentionally damaged. |
| 29 CFR 1910.132(f) | Personal protective equipment: training | Each employee required to use PPE must be trained to know when PPE is necessary, what PPE is necessary, how to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear it, its limitations, and its proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal. Employees must demonstrate understanding and the ability to use PPE properly before being allowed to perform work requiring it, and must be retrained when workplace or equipment changes render previous training obsolete. |
Compliance checklist
PPE Selection, Use, and Care: what an inspector looks for
A written workplace hazard assessment is certified, identifies the workplace and the person certifying it, and is dated
29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2)
PPE selected protects against the identified hazards, fits each affected employee, and the selection is communicated to them
29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1)
PPE is provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever hazards require it
29 CFR 1910.132(a)
Every employee required to use PPE is trained, demonstrates proper use, and is retrained when conditions change
29 CFR 1910.132(f)
Defective or damaged PPE is not used, is removed from service, and is replaced at no cost to the employee except where the employee lost or intentionally damaged it
29 CFR 1910.132(e)
Templates related to PPE Selection, Use, and Care
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This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.