Personal Protective Equipment and High-Risk Work Activities
PPE and high-risk work activities
This domain tests PPE selection, use, care, training, and controls for high-risk work: falls, excavations, confined spaces, cranes, electrical work, and hot work. PPE must fit the hazard and the worker, and it never replaces engineering or administrative controls.
Core rules
- Under 1926.95, required PPE is provided at no cost, with limited exceptions, and must be designed for the hazard.
- Eye and face protection follows 1926.102, head protection 1926.100, foot protection 1926.96, hearing protection 1926.101, and respiratory protection 1926.103, which adopts 1910.134.
- Fall protection is required at 6 feet in construction; guardrail top rails are nominally 42 inches high.
- Excavations 5 feet or deeper need a protective system; confined spaces need testing, ventilation, permits, attendants, and rescue planning.
- High-risk permits include hot work, lockout/tagout, critical crane lifts, and confined-space entry.
Worked example
A worker must enter a permit-required confined space. Before entry, test oxygen, flammable gas, and toxic gas; ventilate; complete the permit; assign an attendant; provide retrieval equipment; and confirm rescue arrangements. The reasoning is that atmospheres can change and a respirator alone does not make entry safe. PPE supports the permit system but cannot replace testing, ventilation, and rescue planning.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing PPE before evaluating elimination or engineering controls.
- Issuing respirators without medical evaluation, fit testing, or training.
- Using damaged harnesses or incompatible anchors.
- Entering a permit space without an attendant or rescue plan.