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Print Article- Does the program include written procedures for maintaining respirators?
Survey Results: Of respirator-using establishments, 50% did not include such procedures or didn’t know if any procedures were included.
Suggestions: Respirators must be cleaned after each day’s use and stored properly to prevent skin rashes. Respirators must be periodically inspected for degradation of straps, facepieces, and valves, with repairs or replacements made as needed. Respirators used in routine situations must be inspected before each use and during cleaning, respirators maintained for emergency situations must be inspected at least monthly and checked for proper function before and after each use, and emergency escape-only respirators must be inspected before being carried into the workplace for use.
- Is the respirator program administered by a trained person?
Survey Results: Of respirator-using establishments, 48% did not have a trained program administrator.
Suggestions: A trained respirator program administrator is needed to oversee the program for that company or site. The amount and type of training needed depends on the complexity of the respirators used and hazards encountered.
- Are wearers of tight-fitting respirators fit tested?
Survey Results: Of respirator-using establishments with tight-fitting respirators, 43% did not provide fit testing or didn’t know if fit testing was conducted.
Suggestions: A fit test (as described by OSHA2) such as those using banana oil, saccharine, or Bitrex, or quantitative techniques must be conducted to determine that a selected respirator fits and can be adjusted to prevent leaks.
- Are employees assessed for medical fitness to wear respirators?
Survey Results: Of respirator-using establishments, 43% did not provide the assessment or didn’t know if such an assessment was conducted.
Suggestions: Respirators may overly burden susceptible workers. The employer must obtain a written determination from a physician or other licensed health care provider regarding the worker’s ability to use a respirator. The physician or other licensed health care provider determination may be based upon responses to the OSHA screening questionnaire, and, if necessary, a medical examination.2
- Are airline respirator couplings incompatible with other gas systems at the establishment?
Survey Results: Of airline respirator-using establishments, 24% did not assure the incompatibility.
Suggestions: If respirator hose couplings can be connected to a source that may contain nitrogen, argon, or another asphyxiant, a fatality could result.
- Are dust masks (filtering-facepiece respirators) used to protect only against dusts, but not gases or vapors?
Survey Results: Of respirator-using establishments, 13% did not use dust masks only against dust.
Suggestions: Dust masks should be used only for dusts. If gases or vapors are a hazard, respirators with chemical filtering cartridges or air-supplied respirators may be needed.
Overall, of the respirator-using Industrial Machinery and Equipment establishments, 67%, or an estimated 5,040 establishments, had three or more of the previously described indicators of a potentially inadequate respiratory protection program.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Respirators are used extensively by Industrial Machinery and Equipment establishments to protect against a wide variety of dusts and chemicals that are health hazards. There is a need for improvement in the respiratory protection programs at many Industrial Machinery and Equipment establishments.
Employers who suspect their respiratory protection program is in need of improvement should consider contacting the OSHA free confidential consultation service available for small businesses in every state. OSHA also has a Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Revised Respiratory Protection Standard available at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/secgrev-current.pdf. Another resource is the American Industrial Hygiene Association list of consultants at http://www.aiha.org/Content/AccessInfo/consult/consultlisting.htm.
Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
REFERENCES
1) BLS/NIOSH [2003]. Respirator Usage in Private Sector Firms, 2001. Washington, DC: BLS. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/respsurv/ (accessed December 15, 2008).
2) OSHA [1998]. Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134. Available at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=12716 (accessed December 15, 2008).
3) NIOSH [2005]. NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic 2004. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-100. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-100/ (accessed December 15, 2008).