Protective equipment (eye, face, head and extremity protection, protective clothing, respiratory devices, protective shields and barriers) must be provided, used and kept sanitary and reliable wherever hazards of processes or environment, chemical or radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants could injure or impair any body part by absorption, inhalation or physical contact. Where employees supply their own protective equipment, the employer remains responsible for its adequacy, maintenance and sanitation. Employers must make sure all PPE is safely designed and built for the job and is chosen so it fits each affected employee properly (the fit requirement added by the rule published 12 December 2024, effective 13 January 2025). PPE used to comply with Part 1926 is provided at no cost to employees, with these exceptions: non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear that the employer lets employees wear away from the site; footwear with integral metatarsal protection an employee chooses instead of the metatarsal guards the employer provides; everyday clothing and ordinary weather-protection items; and replacement of PPE the employee lost or intentionally damaged. The employer must otherwise pay for replacement PPE, may let employees use adequate PPE they own without reimbursing them, but may not require employees to provide or pay for their own PPE outside those exceptions. Where another OSHA standard sets its own payment rule for specific equipment, that rule prevails.
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