Personal Protective Equipment Selection for Oil Spill Responders

This presentation is meant to outline the recently released recommended practice, developed by the American Petroleum Institute, entitled “RP 98, Personal Protective Equipment Selection for Oil Spill Responders.”
Typically, personal protective equipment (PPE) is the primary control measure employed during emergency response operations.

PPE selection rise to the forefront of worker protection options when considering oil spill response activities due to inherent delays and feasibility issues involved in the implementation of effective engineering controls. Oil Spill Responders have been commonly witnessed being overprescribed PPE in an attempt to ensure both compliance and protection, a condition which may actually increase the risk of injury or illness. As safety officers are commonly tasked with developing and implementing effective PPE programs, they must recognize that as a response control measure PPE is never a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Proper selection of PPE requires a risk assessment that takes into account many variables surrounding responders, working conditions, tasks and their associated hazards.

Since oil spill response conditions change frequently and are varied tremendously in scope and application, a PPE selection procedure should be implemented which assures PPE is best suited for particular jobs, responder discomfort and stress is minimized, waste is reduced, and responder efficiency is maintained.

This presentation will focus on four main topics including:
-Hazards Associated with Oil Spill Response Operations
-Experiences and Lessons Learned in Implementing Personal Protective Equipment Programs during Oil Spill Response Operations
-Effective Job Hazard Analysis Process