What are the legal requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Although there is no general requirement in the Ministry of Labour’s legislation for an employer to provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), an employer has a general duty, under OHSA Section 25(2)(h) to “take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances” to protect workers. In practical terms, this means PPE should be provided to workers wherever there are health (or safety) risks that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways. PPE can reduce or prevent a worker’s exposure to a health hazard in the workplace and can include respirators, hearing protectors, protective clothing, footwear and face and eye shields. PPE is required in specific situations and dealt with in regulations made under OHSA Section 7 of the Regulation respecting the Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents requires respirators to be provided when engineering controls are not practical. Under Section 139(2) of the Regulation respecting Industrial Establishments, a worker with an
Although there is no general requirement in the Ministry of Labour’s legislation for an employer to provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), an employer has a general duty, under OHSA Section 25(2)(h) to “take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances” to protect workers. In practical terms, this means PPE should be provided to workers wherever there are health (or safety) risks that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways. PPE can reduce or prevent a worker’s exposure to a health hazard in the workplace and can include respirators, hearing protectors, protective clothing, footwear and face and eye shields. PPE is required in specific situations and dealt with in regulations made under OHSA Section 7 of the Regulation respecting the Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents requires respirators to be provided when engineering controls are not practical.
