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Toolbox talk · 10 min · PPE

PPE Basics

Hazards: Struck-by falling or flying objects · Eye injuries from grinding and cutting · Cuts and punctures · Noise exposure · Electrical contact

Why it matters

Eye and face protection in construction, 29 CFR 1926.102, was the ninth most frequently cited OSHA standard in fiscal year 2025. That is not a paperwork violation — that is inspectors walking onto jobs and finding people cutting, grinding and chipping without glasses on. PPE is the last line of defense, after the hazard has already gotten past everything else. It only works if it is the right gear, it fits, and it is on you.

Key points

  • PPE is last, not first. Eliminate, substitute, engineer, then administrative controls, then PPE. If the answer to a hazard is only "wear your glasses," we have not finished thinking.
  • Hard hat where things can fall or fly. 1926.100 — impact, falling or flying objects, electrical shock and burns. Helmets must meet ANSI/ISEA Z89.1, and Class E if high-voltage contact is possible.
  • Z87.1 glasses with side protection. Grinding, cutting, chipping, overhead drilling, concrete work, compressed air — that is when eyes go. Face shield over glasses for grinding, never instead of them.
  • Fit is a requirement. 1926.95(c): PPE must be of safe design and selected to properly fit each affected employee. Gear that does not fit gets taken off, and then it protects nobody.
  • The employer pays. 1926.95(d) — required PPE at no cost, replacements included. The exceptions are narrow: everyday clothing, weather gear, and non-specialty safety-toe boots or prescription safety glasses you can wear off site.
  • Hearing protection has a real number. The NRR on the package is a lab number; the field number is lower. If you cannot have a conversation at arm's length, it is loud enough to need protection.

Do / Don't

Do

  • Check gear at the start of the shift, not after the injury.
  • Ask for a size or style that actually fits you.
  • Wear the face shield and the glasses when grinding.

Don't

  • Push safety glasses up on the brim "for one cut."
  • Modify a hard hat — drilled holes and stickers over cracks.
  • Wear loose gloves around drills, saws or rotating shafts.

Quick site check

  • Look around the circle right now: is everyone wearing what this job actually requires?
  • Any cracked lenses, damaged shells, or worn-out gloves to swap before we start?
  • What is today's loudest task, and do we have the right hearing protection for it?
Discussion — ask the crew
  1. What task on this job do we do every day where the PPE we have is not really the right PPE?
  2. Whose safety glasses fog up so badly they end up on the hard hat brim? What have we tried about it?
  3. Where does dropped material land on this site, and who is standing there?
  4. What PPE do we run out of first, and how does somebody get a replacement today?
Refs: 29 CFR 1926.95 — Criteria for personal protective equipment (including employer payment) · 29 CFR 1926.100 — Head protection · 29 CFR 1926.102 — Eye and face protection · OSHA — Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards, FY 2025Sign-in sheet included in the printed version

Frequently asked questions

Yes, with narrow exceptions. Under 29 CFR 1926.95(d) the employer provides required PPE at no cost. The exceptions include non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear that workers may take off site, everyday clothing, and weather gear such as coats, gloves, rubber boots and sunscreen. Replacement PPE is on the employer unless the worker lost or intentionally damaged it.

Yes, where there is a hazard from flying objects. 29 CFR 1926.102(a)(2) requires eye protection with side protection; detachable clip-on or slide-on side shields are acceptable. The glasses must meet ANSI/ISEA Z87.1.

Under 1926.102(a)(3) you either wear protective eyewear with the prescription built in, or protective eyewear that fits over your glasses without displacing them. Street prescription glasses are not eye protection.

29 CFR 1926.100(a) requires protective helmets wherever there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shock and burns. The helmet must meet one of the ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 versions listed in the standard, and where high-voltage shock is possible it must also meet the electrical insulation section.

Sources & references

Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 27, 2026.

Results are estimates for planning purposes and do not replace a competent person's evaluation or an engineer's design. Follow the OSHA standards that apply to your work and your employer's written program.

By — Editorial team of SteelToeTools.com (published by LSEA SAS) Updated