Business owners beware!  OSHA has just mandated that employers are responsible for providing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees!  According to Business and Legal Reports, “This final rule will clarify who is responsible for paying for PPE, which OSHA anticipates will lead to greater compliance and potential avoidance of thousands of workplace injuries each year.”

In the world of loss control, we can agree that proper PPE reduces injuries and severity, and is a good cost control measure.  But does crying out “Oh, my aching back,” entitle such employee to the latest and greatest in back support apparel?

There is no clear cut answer to that question.  However, if an employee is crying out, “Oh, my aching back,” you can count on this:  you will likely “buy” a work comp claim for that person eventually!  Will back support prevent such a claim?  If so, the cost of providing it may not be so bad after all!  If not, do you really want to keep that worker assigned to that task?