November 4, 2026
Safety Focus
Part 3 of 4: PPE Fundamentals
Having the right gear is half of it. It also has to fit, meet the standard, and be in shape to work.
Fit is now in the rule. OSHA amended 1926.95(c), effective January 13, 2025. Employers must ensure PPE "is selected to ensure that it properly fits each affected employee." OSHA's reasoning: improperly fitting PPE "may fail to provide any protection" at all. It named smaller workers, including some women, as a particular concern. Glasses that slide down, gloves too big to grip, and a hard hat that falls off when you look up all fail the same way.
Know the markings. Construction rules point to consensus standards:
• Eye and face: ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 (1926.102(b)(1)). Eye protection must be marked so the manufacturer can be identified (1926.102(a)(4)).
• Head: ANSI Z89.1 (1926.100(b)(1)). Type I protects against blows to the top of the head; Type II, the top and sides. Class G is proof-tested at 2,200 volts, Class E at 20,000 volts, and Class C offers no electrical protection, per OSHA's 2024 safety helmet bulletin.
• Feet: 1926.96 requires safety-toe footwear to meet an ANSI standard named in the rule.
On a rig with a mast near power lines, the electrical class matters. Check the label, not the color.
Prescription glasses. Under 1926.102(a)(3), a worker who wears them needs eye protection that either builds in the prescription or fits over the glasses without disturbing them.
Inspect before the shift. Look for cracked or chalky hard hat shells, scratched or pitted lenses, gloves cut or soaked through, and worn soles or exposed toe caps. Damaged gear comes out of service. That is a field practice, labeled as such; follow the manufacturer's replacement guidance.
Key Takeaways:
• Since January 13, 2025, construction PPE must properly fit each worker (1926.95(c)).
• Read the markings: Z87.1 for eyes, Z89.1 Type and Class for heads.
• Inspect gear every shift and pull anything damaged.
Sources:
• Federal Register: Personal Protective Equipment in Construction (FR Doc. 2024-29220)
• OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.100, Head Protection
Knowledge Share
Part 3 of 4: Slot Selection and Open Area
So far, the slot has been sized to the formation. That is the naturally developed well. The other way to build it is to place a filter pack and size the slot to the pack instead.
Naturally developed well. The slot sits against the formation. You choose it from the formation's grain-size curve (30 to 50 percent retained, by Cu), then development pulls the finer grains through the slot and leaves a coarser zone around the screen.
Filter packed well. A100-20 defines it as a well with filter pack material placed in the annulus next to the screen. Now the pack holds the formation, and the screen holds the pack. Section 4.5.5.2 sizes the slot to retain between 80 and 95 percent of the filter pack material. That is a much tighter rule, because you are not trying to develop the pack. You are trying to keep it in place. Choosing the pack itself is next week's topic.
A field rule that follows: sample every formation change, not just the middle of the screened interval. You cannot size a slot by interval if you only sampled one.
What to check before you order:
• Decide first: natural development or filter pack. The slot rule changes with it.
• For a filter packed well, size the slot to retain 80 to 95 percent of the pack.
Sources:
• AWWA: ANSI/AWWA A100-20, Water Wells
Recommended Print References:
• Hydraulics of Wells: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Handbook of Ground Water Development- Roscoe Moss Company
• Groundwater & Wells, Third Edition- Edited by Robert J. Sterrett, Johnson Screens
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