Question: Can an employer use “mouthpiece respirators” as escape respirators when working in/around chlorine? OSHA’s answer may surprise you! These types of ESCAPE ONLY respirators are widely used still today. Although I am not a big fan of these respirators, they can be used safely and play a critical role in emergency situations. OSHA makes a GREAT point in their response to this question, as I tried to convey in a blog post several months ago (Respirators and Emergency Working Conditions)… the eyes MUST be protected during the escape. This means…
The facility needs to REQUIRE GOGGLES for each person assigned a mouthpiece escape respirator. In fact, the facility needs to include NON-VENTED GOGGLES to be specific. ALL of this needs to be captured in the facility’s PPE Hazard Assessment(s). Here is what OSHA states to this Q&A from the respirator standard.
Escape -Only Respirators
Q. Can employees use mouthpiece respirators (also known as mouth breathers) for escape? ( p. 1182)
A. Yes, if the mouthpiece respirator is properly selected for the potential hazard. It is important that escape-only respirators be NIOSH approved and appropriate for the potential airborne concentration and class of substances involved. However, a mouthpiece type respirator alone would not be appropriate for escape from a chlorine spill because irritation to the eyes could impede the ability of the worker to escape. However if chemical goggles are also provided, the use of a mouthbit respirator in conjunction with chemical goggles might be acceptable in cases where employees can make an immediate and unobstructed exit from an outdoor, relatively level area involved in an emergency.
CLICK HERE (exit to OSHA site) for the entire Q&A Document