Respiratory Protection

A fairly common mistake we see at facilities that have their own emergency response teams is that the responders are NOT receiving a fitness-for-duty evaluation and only receiving the same medical evaluation as those who wear respirators in non-emergency settings.  This is a problem, as OSHA has stated that emergency responders need more than the…...

Over the past several years we have seen an increase in the use of mobile test units for respiratory medical clearances and fit testing.  Most safety professionals have seen these type of mobile units.  When done correctly, these mobile units can save a lot of time and thus save the employer a lot of money;…...

One of the sad trends we continue to see in OSH centers around the use of respirators and facial hair.  OSHA has stated more times that I can count on two hands that facial hair is NOT allowed in the face-to-mask seal area.  In fact, personnel are NOT even permitted to be fit-tested if they have…...

This week I was more than surprised to learn that not everyone uses the most up-to-date NIOSH IDLH values when deciding on their respiratory protection needs. This was brought to my attention after a SAFTENG member contacted me about my 2012 article “What type of respirator do I need?”. This safety professional had downloaded a…...

Back in March 2016, the Incident Alerts reported an incident at a refinery where workers were overcome while wearing air-line respirators.  The facility, media, and OSHA were silent on details, but now OSHA has posted their accident summary: At approximately 8:45 a.m. on March 2, 2016, Employee #1 and Employee #2 were removing bolts from a…...

For those of us that are parents, we know the game of “keeping asking mom and dad in the hopes they’ll change their minds” and sometimes I think our profession acts like teenagers and OSHA has to play the role of “mom and dad”.  Case in point, this OSHA LOI which was posted @ OSHA’s…...

The SAFTENG team has come across this rare situation twice in 2016 and it seems to be a matter that is open to much interpretation so I am hoping we can have a rationale discussion.  The situation arises when we come across a facility using a brand/model of respirator that no longer has a NIOSH approval…...

Question: If an employee with a neatly trimmed goatee is wearing a respirator and it does not interfere with the seal of the face piece or valve function, and has passed a fit test, does this meet the intent of the OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard? Response: The Respiratory Protection standard, paragraph 29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)(A), states…...

OSHA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to add two (2) quantitative fit-testing protocols to the agency’s Respiratory Protection Standard. The protocols would apply to employers in the general, shipyard and construction industries.  This proposed rulemaking would allow employers greater flexibility in choosing fit-testing methods for employees. The proposed rule would NOT require an…...

Results of a recently completed 2015 NIOSH study confirm the necessity of the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) respirator fit testing requirement, both annually and when physical changes have occurred. The study’s conclusions emphasize that respirator users who have lost more than 20 pounds should be re-tested to be sure that the current size…...

Background: You’ve pointed out that in some workplaces, employees may be required to wear a different harness on the same manufacturer’s model facepiece and sealing surface for different work scenarios such as different work modes (negative vs. positive pressure) or for flame and heat protection. During our meeting, we discussed… One respirator model has two…...