Text from
the OSHA Logging Compliance Directive, CPL 2-1.22J.
Definitions and clarifications
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2. Paragraph (d) - General Requirements
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(4) Paragraph (d)(1)(vii) - Eye and Face protection. The
employer must assure that each employee who is at risk of eye and face injury wear
protection meeting the requirements of subpart I of Part 1910. For example, some employees
(e.g., machine maintenance employees), may only need eye protection to guard against
injury.
(a) In other logging operations such as, but not limited to, chipper operations, and
cutting limbs, branches and spring poles, face protection must be worn because there is a
potential for facial injury (e.g., flying wood, needles, and splinters; cutting limbs and
springpoles; moving through dense underbrush). For operations such as chipping, face
protection must meet the requirements of subpart I.
(b) For chain-saw operations, logger-type mesh face screens may be worn even though
most logger-type mesh face screens do not meet the requirements of Subpart I. They do not
comply with the referenced ANSI standards, ANSI Z87.1-989 or ANSI Z87.1-1968 because they
are not able to pass the impact and penetration resistance tests required by the ANSI
standard. In chain-saw operations however, 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, yet do not restrict vision in wet weather or fog up. Face protection comprised of
mesh screens is readily available in the industry.
(c) Where both eye and face protection is necessary, and the employee is provided with
face PPE that protects both eyes and face, the employee is not also required to wear
separate eye protection.
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