Occupational Safety and Health Administration Personal Protective Equipment Standard - 29 CFR 1910.132

IM WY 2017-019
Instruction Memorandum

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Wyoming State Office
P.O. Box 1828
Cheyenne, WY  82003-1828
www.blm.gov/wy

In Reply Refer To:
1112 (950) P

July 26, 2017

EMS TRANSMISSION:  07/27/2017
Instruction Memorandum No. WY-2017-019
Expires 9/30/2020

To: All Employees

From: State Director

Subject: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standard - 29 CFR 1910.132
        
Program Area: Safety and Occupational Health

Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming policy for the purchase of PPE and Fire Resistant Clothing (FRC) for BLM employees (attachment 1.)  The BLM policy and OSHA regulations require that all standard types of necessary PPE must be provided to employees by the Bureau and purchased at Government expense.  The purchase and use of PPE is limited to employees who’s Risk Assessment (RA) for their workplace/job series list identified/mandated PPE for the safe completion of work tasks or operations.  The State Safety Manager must approve all PPE purchases as outlined in BLM Manual Handbook 1112-1, 15.4. C.  This authority has been delegated to the District Safety Managers as authorized per BLM Manual Handbook 1112-1, 15.4. C.

Policy/Action: FRC, like all employee uniform clothing articles and PPE, are expendable and, once worn become the responsibility of the employee to maintain in a serviceable condition.  Once an item is unserviceable it shall be replaced before the employee returns to a given job or area that requires the safety items to be worn. 

The Wyoming Leadership Team, the State Safety Manager and State Business Manager have established cost ceilings on the purchase of PPE, i.e. insulated coveralls, fire resistant coveralls/clothing, prescription safety glasses and safety (composite toe) boots.  The ceiling may be adjusted yearly according to the retail market and with approval from the Wyoming Management Team.  An approved/signed copy of a RA must accompany the purchase documents for all PPE that is provided without cost to the employee or that is partially funded by the Government unless the State or District Safety Manager has an approved/signed copy on file.  The cost ceiling on prescription safety glasses is $300 per year per employee.  

If an employee has an extremely exceptional prescription, the Field Manager may approve any additional costs.  The cost ceiling on safety boots is $225 per employee. The employee may supplement this amount with personal funds. The cost ceiling for insulated coveralls is $150 per employee.  Oil and Gas personnel buying FRC’s shall only purchase items with a permanent tag/label with the following, (This garment meets the requirements of NFPA 2112, Standard on flame-resistant garments for protection of industrial personnel against flash fire, 2012 edition. NFPA 2113 requires upper and lower body coverage).  

The timeline for PPE/FRC purchases is April of each Fiscal Year (FY) for spring and summer related items and October of each FY for winter related items.  Employees with purchase cards are encouraged after discussion with their respective State/District Purchasing Agent to order prescription safety glasses using the Federal Prison Industry (UNICOR) website, http://www.unicor.gov/index.htm.  Employees that do not have a purchase card should place their order through the District Purchasing Agent or State Office Procurement Staff.  If UNICOR is utilized, then all orders must be tracked to insure the employee receives their prescription safety glasses in a reasonable amount of time. If UNICOR cannot guarantee delivery in 7-10 calendar days, an alternate approved supplier can be used.  All other PPE, i.e. safety glasses, safety boots, insulated coveralls/clothing may be purchased at any local vendor as long as they comply with appropriate safety standards.  (Please work with your State/District Safety Manager or a member of State/Field Office Procurement Staff.)  

Timeframe: This policy is effective immediately.

Budget Impact: No budgetary increase is expected to result from the initiation of this policy.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None

Coordination: District Safety Managers, District Field Managers, and the Wyoming Leadership Team.

Contact: If we can offer any assistance to answer questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact Mathew A. Clementi, State Safety/Health Manager, 307-775-6269, Robin Wellhouse, HDD Safety Manager 307-212-7350, Vacant, WBBD/HPD Safety Manager, 
or Janet Edmonds, Business Manager, 307-775-6007.

Signed by:                            
Buddy W. Green                        
Acting State Director                        

Authenticated by:
Jessica Camargo
State Director's Office

1 Attachment
          1 - Safety Office Approval for Purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (1 p)

Distribution 
Director (740)                1 w/o attchs
CF                                  1 w/ attchs