Employees Personal Protection The City offers a variety of safety devices and protective equipment for the employees personal protection. It is the supervisor s responsibility to evaluate job tasks to ensure employees are provided with appropriate safety devices and proper personal protection equipment. It is the employees responsibility to ensure such safety devices and personal protection equipment are utilized as required by the supervisor. Supervisors shall evaluate whether required safety devices and personal protection equipment are properly utilized by employees and enforce noncompliance if needed. Under no circumstance shall a supervisor assign an employee to work without the protective equipment furnished to him to assure his personal safety. An employee who reports for work without his required protective equipment shall be sent home. Any employee who refuses to comply or who simply would not use protective equipment is invariably violating the City's policy and shall be subject to disciplinary action. Such discipline shall be as outlined in Section 6 of the City's Employee Handbook. The following safety items are examples of some of the common equipment furnished to employees: a) Face Shields b) Safety Glasses (with side shields) c) Goggles (chemical splash and impact) d) Ear Protection (ear muff, ear plugs and ear cup kits) e) Safety Shoes f) Rubber Boots g) Gloves h) Hard Hats (with suspension) i) Harnesses and Ropes j) Respirators k) Flares l) Safety Signs m) Traffic Vests n) Cones o) Barricades p) Flags q) Flash Lights (with live batteries) r) Miscellaneous Supplies s) First Aid Kits and Supplies (use of kits requires First Aid training) t) Swimming pool lifesaving equipment (use of equipment requires lifeguard certification and training) 8.1 Protective Clothing and Equipment
Supervisory personnel are responsible for making sure that all necessary personal protective clothing, cautionary devices, signs, barricades, and other safety items are available and in use at all times. Employees working in shops and in the field must wear suitable clothing at all times. Such protective clothing and/or equipment shall be used by employees when there is reasonable probability that injury or illness can be prevented by such protection. The Police Department and Fire and Rescue Service have established policies or special requirements which may exceed those outlined in this section. In such situations the established policy and/or special requirements will prevail over those policies described in this section. 8.2 Provision and Maintenance a) Uniforms and protective clothing shall be provided to each employee whose position precludes wearing personal clothing for reasons of safety concerns. Department Heads in coordination with the Safety Officer shall determine which position classifications and/or employees shall be provided City uniforms and protective clothing. b) Uniforms and protective clothing shall identify the person as an employee of the City. All uniforms should have an identifying patch or insignia of the City of Manassas. c) Employees shall be responsible for cleanliness and maintenance of their own uniforms and protective equipment. d) Uniforms and protective clothing will be replaced when the employee s safety and/or health is endangered or when the employee's supervisor determines the uniforms and/or protective clothing to be non serviceable or damaged. 8.3 Reflective Safety Vests a) All workers within or near the right-of-way who are either exposed to traffic or to work vehicles and/or construction equipment shall wear highvisibility safety apparel that meets Performance Class 3 requirements of the ANSI/ISEA 107-2010 REQUIREMENTS. b) All workers installing, maintaining, and removing traffic control devices in nighttime work zones and during emergency situations when traffic control must be installed during low light conditions such as inclement weather (fog, rain, sleet, snow, etc.) shall wear full length reflective Class 3 requirements and reflective trousers or overalls as well. 8.4 Life Jackets
a) When working where there is a danger of drowning, employees shall wear an approved personal flotation device or be protected by a safety belt, safety rope or by a safety net. 8.5 Foot Protection Employees shall wear suitable shoes in good condition. Shoes with hard soles shall be used for field and shop work. Canvas top shoes, "sneakers" or other sport-type shoes, moccasins, sandals and/or other shoes that do not afford good foot protection for the prescribed work are prohibited when working around construction or maintenance jobs, warehouses, shop area, lab, or similar areas. Shoes with heels over one inch are also prohibited when working in such areas unless these types of shoes are deemed necessary by immediate supervision (For example: Lineman boots). a) Toe guards are required whenever impact tools are utilized such as, but not limited to, jackhammers used for breaking concrete or roadways. b) Safety shoes shall be provided to each City employee whose position requires such protective footwear. The equipment shall be provided to the employee before they are exposed to hazards where foot protection is required. c) The City shall provide one pair of safety shoes per year to each employee at a cost not to exceed the amount to be established each year in the departmental budget. All safety shoes worn by City employees shall be classed according to the ANSI Z.41.1 Standard. d) Supervisors shall ensure that temporaries and seasonal help provide their own safety shoes before being assigned to jobs. e) Any questions regarding the acceptability of the shoes or a request to be provided safety shoes by an employee whose position classification does not require them or a request to waive the safety shoe requirement shall be resolved by the Department Head in consultation with the Safety Officer. 8.7 Eye Protection Employees must wear appropriate eye protection (e.g. safety goggles, face masks, googles, shields, helmets) at all times when engaged in or is close to any work involving flying projectiles, materials, dust, or similar irritants that have the possibility of contacting the employees eye area. a) All protective eyewear worn by City employees shall be classed according to the ANSI Z87.1 Standard.
b) Appropriate safety googles/lenses shall be utilized when welding, cutting, or burning. c) Appropriate eye protection shall be utilized when handling of acids, caustics, chlorines, ammonia or other similar liquids or gases except when approved complete head coverings are worn. d) Tinted safety glasses shall not be worn between dusk and dawn. e) If contact lenses are worn and there is a chemical splashing hazardous or atmospheric hazard, protective googles shall be worn over the contact lenses. Prescription Safety Glasses a) Regular prescription safety eyeglasses shall be provided by the City to each employee whose position requires protective eyeglasses to be worn on a continual basis. b) Regular prescription safety eyeglasses must comply with the ANSI Z87.1 Standard. c) One pair of prescription safety eyeglasses, to include the eyeglass frame and lenses, shall be provided to each employee on an annual basis. d) The employee will be responsible for any cost associated with an ophthalmological or related examination required to determine the prescription of the lenses. e) Prescriptions safety glasses are the employee s responsibility to maintain. f) Any questions regarding the application of this requirement shall be resolved by the Safety Officer after reviewing with the department head. In all instances when prescription glasses are purchased from a private vendor, the City shall pay up to the Maximum allowance for the lenses and frames as previously agreed with the City's approved vendors. The names and locations of the approved vendors can be obtained from the Safety Officer. 8.7 Head Protection City employees are required to wear hard hats in all situations where overhead hazards exist. Examples of the areas where overhead hazards may exist are construction, maintenance, field work sites, water plant and climbing work areas, as well as any area posted "Hard Hat Area." Posting of areas shall be at the discretion of the Department Head in cooperation with the Safety Officer.
a) Hard hats shall be provided to each City employee whose position requires protective headgear. b) The City shall, at the time of their appointment to a position which requires protective headgear, provide one hard hat to each employee. c) All hard hats worn by each City employee shall be classed according to ANSI Z89.1 Standard. Hard hat suspension systems are not to be removed but should be properly fitted as recommended by the manufacturer. d) Any question regarding the acceptability of the hard hat or exceptions to the position classification requirement to wear one shall be resolved by the Safety Officer after review with the department head. e) Approved head shields or hoods shall be worn when welding 8.8 Hand Protection Due to the diversity of the City's operations which could result in hand injuries, supervisors should recognize the hazards common to their work and prescribe the appropriate type of gloves. Common hazards to the hand are cuts, contusions, abrasions, chemical spills, heat, cold and vibration (commonly caused by use of pneumatic hand tools). a) Protective gloves shall be provided to each City employee whose position requires protective gloves. b) The City shall provide a new pair of safety gloves to each employee on an as-needed basis. If applicable, all protective gloves worn by employees must comply with designated OSHA specifications adopted by the City. c) Protective gloves shall be replaced as they become unserviceable. An employee's supervisor will determine when the gloves need to be replaced. d) Any question regarding the application of this requirement shall be resolved by the Safety Officer after reviewing same with the department head.