OSHA requires that any employee who wears a respirator must be enrolled in a respiratory protection program. The program requires the following prior to using a respirator:
- Complete an exposure assessment of the work area and select the appropriate respirator; contact EHS for assistance.
- Have each employee that will wear a respirator complete a medical evaluation; the employee must complete the OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire for evaluation by a healthcare professional. The cost of the physical is the responsibility of the employee’s department.
- Have each employee fit tested and trained on their respirator. Contact EHS to schedule an appointment; please have employees bring their respirator to the fit testing.
The following is an excerpt from OSHA’s Respiratory Protection eTool:
When is respiratory protection necessary?
Respiratory protection is necessary when an exposure assessment determines that employees are exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace that cannot be controlled through engineering controls (e.g. exhaust via fume hoods or airflow).
When is it necessary to conduct an exposure assessment?
Conditions in which employees should wear respirators include the following:
- When OSHA has a substance specific standard (e.g., lead, methylene chloride).
- When employees notice symptoms (e.g., irritation, odor) or complain of respiratory health effects
- When the workplace contains visible emissions (e.g., fumes, dust, aerosols).
How do I determine how much chemical exposure exists in the workplace?
Chemical exposure can be estimated by several methods:
- Sampling – The most reliable approach for assessing how much and what type of respiratory protection is required in a given circumstance
- Objective Information – Information and data that indicate that use or handling cannot release concentrations of a respiratory hazard above a level that would trigger the need for respirator use or require use of a more protective respirator.
- Variation – This method accounts for potential variation by using exposure data collected with a strategy that recognizes exposure variability
Respirator Chart
| Air-Purifying | ||
| Dust Masks | APF: 10 |
|
| Half-Face Respirators | APF: 10 |
|
| Full-Face Respirators | APF: 50 |
|
| Powered-Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) | ||
|
Half-Face Full-Face Hood or Helmet |
APF: 50 APF: 50 APF: 25 |
|
| Air-Supplying | ||
| Air-Line Respirator | ||
|
Half-Face Demand Half-Mask Continuous Half-Mask Pressure Demand Full-Face Demand Full-Face Continuous Flow Full-Face Pressure Demand Hood or Helmet |
APF: 10 APF: 50 APF: 1000 APF: 50 APF: 50 APF: 2000 APF: 25 |
|
| Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): | ||
|
Demand Pressure Demand |
APF: 50 APF: 10000 |
|
