PPE gloves who's responsible for providing?

[cawkazn]

I currently work home health shift care I have been forced to work the past two shifts with no gloves because the patient and his family at the house have burned through all of the gloves and the agency is no longer willing to provide any more. I was under the impression that the home health agency is responsible for providing its employees with PPE such as gloves. When I told my boss that they are responsible for providing their employees such as myself with the necessary PPE such as gloves to do my job she told me that the gloves are not their responsibility and that it is the responsibility of the health insurance to provide DME. I believe she may be confusing DME with PPE and I believe she is incorrect. I believe that the home health agency is responsible for providing its employees with the necessary PPE such as gloves to do their job. Can anyone let me know if I am correct or not? If I am correct can you please let me know what rule law or regulation is applicable in this situation as I would like to forward that rule law or make it to my supervisor. As of now I believe home health agency is out of compliance for refusing to supply its employee with gloves. Thank you.

[Kitiger, RN]

The client's insurance pays for the PPE that the client and the client's family use. They have the right to use as much of that PPE as they want.

The home health agency is responsible for providing its employees with PPE. https://www.osha.gov/workers/

You say you were forced to work two shifts without gloves. Before that happened to me, I would either obtain PPE from the office or I would supply my own. I do carry gloves and masks. In either case, I would use this supply while at work, and take the rest home with me. In other words, if the family plans to burn through the supply, they can burn through their own supply, not mine.

In real life, though, this has not been a problem for me. We share.