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Text from the OSHA Standard Amendment issued September 8, 1995 in the Federal Register Text from the OSHA Logging Standard Amendment issued September 8, 1995 in the Federal Register

Paragraph (d)(1)(vii) -- Face Protection

In the final rule, OSHA required that employers provide and pay for protection for the eyes and face for any employee where there is a potential for injury due to falling or flying objects. After publication of the final rule, OSHA was requested by some parties to stay the face protection requirement in order to clarify the following concerns.

First, these parties requested OSHA to clarify in what logging operations face protection is required. The rulemaking record shows that some employees do need protection for the face as well as the eyes (e.g., chipper operators) (Ex. 2-1). In the WIR survey 42 face injuries were reported during the three-month survey period which involved other than the eye (Ex. 2-1). OSHA believes that chipper operators, employees cutting limbs, branches or spring poles, and employees moving through dense underbrush are among those for whom the risk of facial lacerations from wood, wood chips, needles or splinters is most likely. OSHA is revising the final rule to indicate that where employees are at risk of facial injury they must wear protection meeting the requirements of subpart I of Part 1910 (29 CFR 1910.133).

For other employees, however, eye protection alone may be adequate to protect them from the hazards present. For example, an employee performing machine maintenance may only require eye protection. For these employees, the most likely hazards are dirt, particles or other substances flying or splashing into the eyes. For example, maintenance employees need eye protection where they are using metal cut-off or grinding tools. Subpart I requires employers to assess the hazards in the workplace to what personal protective equipment is necessary. OSHA is revising the final rule to emphasize that where the assessment indicates a risk of facial injury exists, face protection must also be provided and worn.

Second, these parties requested that OSHA clarify whether the final rule requires employees to wear both eye and face protection simultaneously. It was OSHA's intention that of face protection would adequate protection for both the eyes and the face. Therefore, OSHA is adding a note to the final rule to clarify that where the employer determines that protection against eye and face injury is necessary and provides the employee with a device that protects both the eyes as well as the face, the final rule does not also require the employee to wear separate eye protection.

Finally, these parties said that face protection should not be required because it may interfere with the logger's vision, thereby creating additional hazards. They said optical characteristics of face shields made of solid transparent material, as required by subpart I, could distort peripheral vision. However, they did not provide evidence to this effect during the rulemaking and they have not identified any data in the rulemaking record that would support this contention. There is nothing in the record that would lead the Agency to believe that potential distortion of peripheral vision by face shields creates a greater hazard than lack of face protection. Of the injuries reported in the WIR survey, obstructed vision was not identified as the cause of any injury (Ex. 2-1).

They also said that the logger's vision could be reduced in wet weather because of wood chips or sawdust sticking to the face shield or the transparent material fogging up. Once again, the record does not indicate that this is a significant problem. In any event, the final rule allows flexibility in selecting face protection for employees working in different conditions. Specifically, with the exception of chipping operations, the final rule expressly permits logger-type mesh screens to be used for face protection. Such screens provide protection from penetration by branches, limbs and saplings, yet do not restrict vision in wet weather or fog up. Information in the record indicates that face protection comprised of mesh screens is readily available in the industry. In fact, many types of safety headgear manufactured for the logging industry are equipped with mesh screen face protection.

OSHA notes, however, that most logger-type mesh face screens do not meet the literal requirements of Subpart I because they do not comply with the referenced ANSI standards, ANSI Z87.1-1989 or ANSI Z87.1-1968. Mesh face screens are not constructed with impervious transparent material and do not necessarily meet the impact resistance requirements of the ANSI standards. For this reason, they may not be used in chipping operations where impact resistance is needed to prevent injury from wood, wood chips, needles, or splinters being propelled from chipping machines at great speed. For chipping operations, therefore, eye and face protection must meet the requirements of subpart I.

However, for other logging operations such as chain-saw operation, OSHA believes that logger-type mesh screens will provide adequate protection. In these operations there is not the same hazard of objects hitting the face screen at a high speed or penetrating through the mesh openings. Mesh screens provide adequate protection to keep small limbs, branches, and saplings from poking the employee's eye or cutting the employee's face when the employee is moving through the woods. Therefore, OSHA is revising the final rule and compliance directive to indicate that an employer who provides and requires chain saw operators performing felling, limbing and bucking activities to use a logger-type mesh face screen would be deemed to be in compliance with this paragraph. Additionally, logger-type mesh face screens may also be used by those employees performing yarding operations. For all other logging tasks (e.g., machine and vehicle maintenance, cutting winch cables, drilling, grinding, and welding during equipment repair) for which the hazard assessment indicates eye and face protection are necessary, the employer must provide protection which meets the requirements of subpart I.

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