Experience Files

It's a common dilemma: you've invested significant time and resources into ensuring your employees comply with safety standards. You've implemented an OSHA-compliant respiratory protection plan, paid for medical evaluations, purchased and fit-tested full-face respirators, provided proper respirator filtration and maintenance parts, and assigned each employee their own equipment. Yet, you catch them on projects not wearing the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Business owners and senior management often remain silent. Is it because "it's not that big a deal," or perhaps "they're a good employee, they just don't want to wear the PPE; I'll choose my battles"? This seemingly minor oversight carries significant risks that can severely impact your business.

Here's what's truly at stake:

• Financial Repercussions from Clients: If you've sold a project as a hazardous condition and included PPE charges in your estimate, homeowners will absolutely use photographic evidence of your employees without PPE to dispute those line items. Even if PPE was worn 90% of the time, photos of non-compliance can lead to adjustments or even the complete removal of associated charges. In the worst-case scenario, clients might attempt to avoid all Category 3 line item charges in your billing.

• Serious Safety and OSHA Violations: Beyond the financial hit, consider the very real safety implications if an employee falls ill due to lack of PPE, especially if hospitalization is required. If an employee is hospitalized for conditions like aspergillosis, you are required to report it to OSHA within 24 hours. OSHA will then demand to see your Respiratory Protection Plan and all related documentation, and they will interview the affected employee. If it comes out that the employee was not wearing a respirator on remediation projects, your explanation of "But he wouldn't wear it!" will fall on deaf ears with the investigator.

• Inconsistent Enforcement and Liability: If you caught employees spraying bleach on building materials instead of performing proper controlled demolition and cleaning, most business owners would have a meltdown. Why? Because it's a giant liability. So, why is ignoring PPE non-compliance any different? Would you allow employees to work on a roof without proper fall protection? Of course not, because a fall from a two-story roof would almost certainly result in serious injury or death.

The willful disregard for company policy, especially concerning PPE, is a liability you cannot afford to ignore. Enforcing safety isn't just about avoiding fines; it's about protecting your employees' health, your company's reputation, and your financial stability. Please always prioritize safety compliance.