Step 1:
If your only respirator use is for escape, skip to Step 8 to select the appropriate respirator.
Step 2:
If the respiratory hazard is a biological aerosol, such as TB (tuberculosis), anthrax, psittacosis (parrot fever), or hanta virus, select a respirator appropriate for non-emergency activities recognized to present a health risk to workers AND skip to Step 8.
(a) If respirator use will occur during emergencies, skip to Step 8 and document the analysis used to select the appropriate respirator.
(b) Use Centers for Disease Control (CDC) selection guidance for exposures to specific biological agents when this guidance exists. Visit http://www.cdc.gov.
Step 3:
If the respiratory hazard is a pesticide, follow the respirator specification on the pesticide label AND skip to Step 9.
Step 4:
Determine the expected exposure concentration for each respiratory hazard of concern. Use the results from the evaluation.
Step 5:
Determine if the respiratory hazard is classified as IDLH; if it is NOT IDLH, skip Step 7. The respiratory hazard IS classified as IDLH if:
(a) The atmosphere is oxygen deficient or oxygen enriched; or
(b) You CANNOT measure or estimate your expected exposure concentration; or
(c) Your measured or estimated expected exposure concentration is greater or equal to the IDLH value in the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.
Note: Visit www.cdc.gov/niosh for more information on IDLH.
Step 6:
Select an appropriate respirator from one of the following respirators for IDLH conditions and skip to Step 8.
(a) Full-facepiece, pressure demand, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) certified by NIOSH for a minimum service life of 30 minutes; or
(b) Full-facepiece, pressure demand air-line respirator equipped with an auxiliary self- contained air supply.
Step 7:
Select respirator types with assigned protection factors (APFs) that are appropriate to protect employees from the expected exposure concentration.
If no permissible exposure limit (PEL) is established for an airborne contaminant, use relevant available information and informed professional judgment to determine an acceptable exposure limit value to use for calculating hazard ratios.
For example, you may use exposure limit values established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).
Step 8:
Consider hazards that could require the selection of specific respirator types. For example, select full-facepiece respirators to prevent eye irritation or abrasive blasting helmets to provide particle rebound protection.
Step 9:
Evaluate user and workplace factors that might compromise respirator performance, reliability or safety. Examples:
(a) High humidity or temperature extremes in the workplace.
(b) Necessary voice communication.
(c) High traffic areas and moving machinery.
(d) If respirator use is for escape only, follow this step and then skip to Step 11.
(e) If the respiratory hazard is a pesticide, follow the requirements on the pesticide label and skip to Step 11.
(f) Time or distance for escape.
Step 10:
Follow Table requirements to select an air-purifying respirator. If Table requirements cannot be met, you must select an appropriate air-line respirator or an SCBA.
| Requirements for Selecting Any Air-purifying Respirator | |
| If the contaminant is a . . . | Then . . . |
| Gas OR Vapor |
NIOSH-certified, end-of service-life indicator (ESLI); or
cartridge change schedule to make sure the canisters or cartridges are replaced before they are no longer effective; or
|
| Particles, such as a dust, spray, mist, fog, fume, or aerosol |
Select respirators with filters certified to be at least 95% efficient by NIOSH For example, N95s, R99s, P100s, or High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter |
Step 11:
Make sure respirators you select are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
(a) Respirators provided exclusively for escape from IDLH atmospheres must be NIOSH-certified for escape from the atmosphere in which they will be used.
(b) To maintain certification, make sure the respirator is used according to cautions and limitations specified on the NIOSH approval label.
This includes manufacturer restrictions on cartridges and canisters.
For SCBAs, use only the respirator manufacturer’s NIOSH-approved breathing-gas containers, marked and maintained in accordance with the Quality Assurance 68 provision of the NIOSH approval for the SCBA as issued in accordance with the NIOSH respirator certification standard at 42 CFR part 84.
Note: While selecting respirators, you will need to select a sufficient number of types, models or sizes to provide for fit testing. You can also consider other respirator use issues, such as accommodating facial hair with a loose fitting respirator.
(c) The assigned protection factors are only effective when the employer implements a continuing, effective respirator program as required by this chapter, including training, fit testing, maintenance, and use requirements.
(d) You may select respirators assigned for use in higher workplace concentrations of a hazardous substance for use at lower concentrations of that substance, or when required use is independent of concentration.