Personal Protective Equipment for General Industry

The final rule on personal protective equipment for general industry was published by OSHA on April 6, 1994 (59 FR 16334). In that rule, the introductory phrase ``the employer shall ensure'' was removed from various proposed requirements for employees to wear different types of protective equipment (final rule Secs. 1910.133, 1910.135, and 1910.136). The general requirement for the employer to select and have the employees wear appropriate PPE, including any PPE described in these specific provisions, was retained in Sec. 1910.132. The employer's obligation to assure compliance with the individual requirements for particular types of PPE was intended to remain the same as if the words ``the employer shall ensure'' or similar language were affixed to each substantive PPE provision in the final rule. However, OSHA's compliance staff has encountered difficulties in using Secs. 1910.133, 1910.135, and 1910.136 because they do not explicitly assign the employer the responsibility for assuring that employees wear the designated equipment. Therefore, this technical amendment is necessary to restate that obligation within the text of these requirements.