NOTE: Be sure to check your BRAND and MODEL for specifics. I have used MSA devices in this article because they are the brand I have used for 30+ years, and I am a huge fan of their products. ALL brands will have similar restrictions. ATTENTION TO these details matters! Yes, MSA enforces strict maximum…...
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) officially consolidated several legacy respiratory and PPE standards—including NFPA 1981 (open-circuit SCBA) and NFPA 1982 (PASS devices)—into a single unified standard: NFPA 1970. The 2025 edition mandates three (3) primary mechanical and electronic upgrades for all new structural firefighting SCBAs:… Membership Required You must be a member to access...
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has finalized Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) profiles and technical analytical standards for major toxic hydrogen halides. These mandates establish airborne exposure limits to guarantee rapid worker escape under acute exposure conditions and dictate strict sampling guidelines for modern industrial hygiene. NIOSH has updated…...
NIOSH issued a formal Request for Information (RFI) seeking new toxicological and human health effects data to refine the established IDLH value for ammonia (NH3), which currently sits at 300 ppm. The agency is specifically looking for updated “weight-of-evidence” research on how ammonia’s chemical mode of action—particularly rapid desensitization of olfactory receptors (smell fatigue) and…...
OSHA advanced a deregulatory proposal to amend 29 CFR 1910.134 that would alter pre-use medical clearance protocols. The amendment would REMOVE the requirement for mandatory medical evaluations for employees using filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs, such as N95s) and loose-fitting PAPRs. The agency cited substantial administrative costs to employers and noted that physicians rarely disqualify workers…...
According to the federal regulatory agenda, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and NIOSH are finalizing major updates to respirator certification standards under 42 CFR Part 84. Targeted for a final rule in November 2026, NIOSH is establishing a new approval class for CURs. These advanced hybrid devices integrate an open-circuit Self-Contained Breathing…...
When you think politicians can’t get any more foolish, they seem to never disappoint. Two committee members argued against a “one-size-fits-all” federal mandate, stating it imposes unfair burdens across vastly different regional climates and industries. One has to wonder if they even read the proposed standard…. Membership Required You must be a member to access...
There is no single, universal “margin of error” for computed respirator cartridge change-out schedules. Because software calculators—such as NIOSH’s MultiVapor™ or manufacturer-specific tools like 3M™ Select and Service Life—rely on predictive mathematical models (most commonly Gerry Wood’s adsorption model), their accuracy depends entirely on how closely the inputted parameters match real-world workplace conditions. In controlled…...
For a formal liquid bubble leak test using a detector like Swagelok Snoop, the industry-standard minimum pressure governed by ASME Section V, Article 10 and ASME B31.3 is 15 psig or 25% of the system design pressure, whichever is less. While SNOOP itself will bubble at virtually any positive pressure where gas escapes, engineering codes…...
It’s an internal OSHA term for when an employer chooses to use TagOut (TO) instead of LockOut (LO). The TO has to be “equally effective” as a LO; this “Tag Plus” must be demonstrated to show that the TO is equal to an LO…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View...
ABSOLUTELY NOT! I know this may not be accepted by everyone, but the medical questionnaire is a medical record, and even the safety manager does not have access to it. In fact, some of the companies I worked for forbade the record from being kept on site. Although two of my sites had on-site medical…...
Employees who refuse to undergo a medical evaluation cannot be assigned to work in areas where they are required to wear a respirator…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
