According to Jolly, the key to ensuring proper PPE use by employees and full compliance with OSHA standards is management interest and commitment. "Nothing gets fixed unless management cares."
Change comes when the workplace, with management in the lead, adopts a culture of safety. Jolly says culture is a combination of "indoctrinating employees from the get-go that they are supposed to wear the right protection, as well as training them and enforcing the rules. All these things roll together into culture."
Another important aspect of an effective PPE program is making sure protective equipment is properly used. Jolly and Thomas advise employers to hold onto any materials that come with new PPE. Manufacturers' instructions and the like should be stored and treated the same way material safety data sheets are—for example, by placing them in a binder for use in training and for reference by employees and supervisors.
In fact, in Virginia, legislation now requires employers under the state OSHA program's jurisdiction to follow manufacturers' safety procedures for their equipment. Thomas and Jolly advocate a similar federal OSHA rule and believe it would significantly improve PPE compliance nationwide.
Comfort Counts, Too!
Another very important aspect of real world PPE use by employees is comfort. If it isn't as comfortable as possible, workers are going to look for excuses not to wear it.
 "Comfort drives compliance," says Kimberly-Clark Professional Division research scientist Kim MacDougall. At the end of the day, she stresses, the very best protective equipment is useless unless a worker wears it consistently.
The Real World Perspective(Safety Daily Advisor)
