Respiratory Protection

A petrochemical refinery was undergoing a turnaround. A contractor crew had been assigned the job of sandblasting the inside surfaces of a reactor vessel (permit-required confined space). Although UNWRITTEN COMPANY POLICY called for the use of air compressors for supplying respirator air, this crew, with the supervisor’s knowledge, had previously used plant air to supply…...

Several of the EEBA manufacturers do not offer this advice upfront, but some manufacturers put this info in their owner’s manuals.  I am no lawyer, so I have no idea why a manufacturer would NOT provide this information for an Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBA).  But having these devices in the workplace, if you use…...

What is the number 1 battle we deal with in our respirator programs?  Facial hair!  But luckily an Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBA) is not hindered by facial hair; however, an EEBA could be hampered by…… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBA) are making come back – at least I am finding more and more facilities that never had them now implementing them for many reasons.  Some companies now believe they are required because of PSM/RMP, some 3rd party PHA facilitators must be getting kick-backs as a lot are recommending them in…...

Here is a look at OSHA’s Respiratory Protection compliance activity in 2019 (October 2018 – September 2019). As you can see, OSHA did 1,298 inspections and issued 2,931 citations for a total of $3,808,871 in fines. Here is a quick breakdown of activity: NAICS Code: 33 / Manufacturing was #1 in # of citations with…...

This may cause anger in some, but it must be said in these crazy times…  To claim any level of respiratory protection, the respirator MUST BE: NIOSH/MSHA approved, AND FIT-TESTED using an OSHA prescribed protocol, AND the user must be properly trained in its use and limitations. Thus a “face covering” that is NOT MANAGED…...

We finally have some “sort of” official definitions from OSHA of what a cloth face covering, surgical mask, and respirator are and how they differ.   The new guidance outlines the differences between cloth face coverings, surgical masks, and respirators. It further reminds employers NOT TO USE SURGICAL MASKS OR CLOTH FACE COVERINGS WHEN RESPIRATORS ARE…...

Immediate Action Required During a recent internal review, 3M discovered a potential issue involving certain versions and lots of the size-medium 3M™ Half Facepiece Disposable Respirators 5000 Series. In a limited number of instances, we have observed a pinhole in the chin area of the faceseal. This affects only certain 5200 (MEDIUM) respirators that were…...

In 2019, OSHA published a respiratory protection guide for Roofing Contractors, but since I do not work in the construction field I did not pay much attention to it.  But today I found some never published guidance from OSHA regarding how an employer can establish a “change-out schedule”.  I may have missed this in all…...

I really don’t understand the mindset of these companies… they have a horrible accident, and rather than recognize something failed and needs to be fixed, they hire lawyers to fight all the OSHA citations rather than competent/qualified safety professionals to fix it all.  These citations were like “taking candy from a baby” because the company…...