NIOSH Wants Input on Improving PPE-Info Database
PPE-Info is the only private or public U.S. database that compiles, tracks, and updates comprehensive information about national PPE standards and select product information, according to the agency.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published a notice asking for comments from stakeholders on how PPE-Info, the Personal Protective Equipment Information Database, can be improved. Comments, filed electronically or in writing, must be received by April 13.
They may be submitted (identified by CDC-2017-0001 and docket number NIOSH-293) at www.regulations.gov or mailed to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Ave., MS C-34, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.
PPE-Info is a collection of national personal protective equipment information. The database allows standards developers, manufacturers, suppliers, purchasers, and end users to conduct searches of relevant standards, associated product types, target occupational groups, basic conformity assessment specifications, and additional pertinent information. It is the only private or public U.S. database that compiles, tracks, and updates comprehensive information about national PPE standards and select product information, according to the notice.
The notice lists the questions NIOSH wants to answer:
1. What improvements to the current PPE-Info capabilities are still needed? For example,
a. Should PPE-Info include a list of PPE that conforms to a given standard along with the corresponding level of conformity (e.g., supplier declaration of conformity, accredited third-party declaration of conformity)? If so, what types of PPE would be the most important to include? Provide your rationale, any supporting data or information, including references or sources of technical expert opinion.
b. Should additional selection logic assistance be added, similar to what PPE-Info already does for the hazard of Ebola? If so, which hazards would be most relevant to include and, of those, which have been sufficiently researched to support this logic selection assistance? Provide any supporting data or information regarding the research, including references.
2. In addition to the existing content included in PPE-Info, what new content or capabilities could be included to further improve health and safety outcomes for U.S. workers? Please provide an explanation for why these improvements are needed, including the affected parties/target audience and the potential impact to the PPE community if these improvements were made. For example, should PPE-Info include international PPE standards? If so, what standards would be the highest priority? Provide your rationale, any supporting data or information, including references or sources of technical expert opinion.
3. What improvements (if any) to PPE-Info are needed to achieve the [Institute of Medicine]'s vision of the "primary clearinghouse for reliable information on non-respirator PPT"? Please provide an explanation for why these improvements are needed, including the affected parties/target audience and the potential impact to the PPE community if these improvements were made. Provide your rationale, any supporting data or information, including references or sources of technical expert opinion.
4. Identify any other issues that you feel NIOSH should address in regards to this database. Please provide an explanation for why these improvements are needed, including the affected parties/target audience and the potential impact to the PPE community if these improvements were made. Provide your rationale, any supporting data or information, including references or sources of technical expert opinion, or describe your experiences as a database user.