What 29 CFR 1910.132 requires (plain English)
29 CFR 1910.132 is the foundation of personal protective equipment in general industry: the standard that sits above the specific requirements for eye, face, head, foot, hand, and respiratory protection. It establishes the process every employer must follow: assess the workplace for hazards, select PPE appropriate to those hazards, provide it, train workers to use it, and pay for it. The specific PPE standards (eye/face 1910.133, respiratory 1910.134, head 1910.135, foot 1910.136, hand 1910.138) tell you WHAT device; 1910.132 tells you HOW to run the program.
The cornerstone is the hazard assessment. The employer must assess the workplace to determine whether hazards are present, or are likely to be present, that necessitate PPE, and must document that assessment in a written certification identifying the workplace evaluated, the person certifying it, and the date. From that assessment flows the duty to select and require appropriate PPE, ensure it fits each affected worker, and train workers on when PPE is necessary, what to use, how to put it on and take it off, its limitations, and its care.
Two principles anchor the standard. First, PPE is the LAST line of defense in the hierarchy of controls: it protects the individual worker only if it is worn correctly every time, so it should complement, never replace, engineering controls (guards, ventilation) and administrative controls that reduce the hazard at its source. Second, the employer pays: required PPE must be provided at no cost to employees, with only narrow exceptions (such as non-specialty safety-toe footwear and prescription safety eyewear allowed off-site, everyday clothing, and ordinary weather gear).