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CM0 Personal Protective Equipment Management Program 2.15 3.5 PPE Selection For site-specific work, the Project Manager, in consultation with the Health and Safety Department, has overall responsibility for coordinating the selection and distribution of PPE to field staff and for ensuring that the selected PPE is appropriate for the site-specific hazards. Generally speaking, Roux employees are not engaged in emergency response or perform work at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites; if this is the case, the CHSD shall be made aware of the work and consult with the Project Team on appropriate PPE selection. Most work falls under environmental sampling of low-concentration contaminants in water/soil/perimeter air. Therefore work is carried out in Level D PPE. Upgrades would be based on more information as it becomes available. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created Guidelines for PPE Ensemble Selection to assist workers in selecting PPE ensembles for specific activities and tasks and determining which ensembles and air monitoring equipment should be used to address specific chemicals. Guidelines to Ensembles for Specific Activities/Tasks Where Chemical Exposure is Possible is provided as a reference in Appendix A. 3.6 Protective Clothing Selection Criteria 3.6.1 Chemicals Present The most important factor in selecting PPE is the determination of what chemicals the employee may be exposed to.The number of chemicals on field investigations may range from a few to several hundred. The exact chemicals or group of chemicals present at the site (certain groups tend to require similar protection) can be determined by collecting and analyzing air, soil, water, or other site media samples. When data are lacking, research into the hazardous materials used or stored at the site can be used to infer potential chemical exposures on the site. The most appropriate clothing shall be selected once the known or suspected chemicals have been identified and considered based on the type of work to be performed. Protective garments are made of several different substances for protection against specific chemicals. There is no universal protective material. All will decompose, permeate, or otherwise fail to protect under given circumstances. Fortunately, most manufacturers make guides to using their products (i.e., Dupont's TyvekTM Permeation Guide). These guides are usually for gloves and coveralls and typically provide information regarding chemical degradation rates(failure of the material to maintain structural integrity when in contact with the chemical) and may provide information on the permeation rate (whether or not the material allows the chemical to pass through). When permeation tables are available, they shall be used with degradation tables to determine the most appropriate protective material for the specific chemical hazard(s). During most site work, chemicals are usually in mixed combinations, and the protective materials are not in continuous contact with pure chemicals for long periods; therefore, the selected material may be adequate for the particular chemical of most concern and the type of work being performed, yet not the "best" protecting material for all site chemicals and activities. Selection shall depend upon the most hazardous chemicals based on their hazards and concentrations. Sometimes, layering (i.e., using several layers of protective materials) affords the best protection. 3.6.2 Concentration of the Chemical(s) One of the major criteria for selecting protective material is the concentration of the chemical(s)in air, liquid, and solid state. Airborne and liquid chemical concentrations should be compared to the OSHA standards, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) guidelines to determine the level of skin or other absorptive 03/2025 Corporate Health and Safety Management Program I ROUX 15