Table of Contents
- 1 When respiratory protection is required?
- 2 What is the specified time at or above the PEL required to participate in a medical surveillance program?
- 3 Who should not wear a respirator?
- 4 Who is responsible for wearing required respiratory protection equipment on a job site?
- 5 Are an engineering control that may remove lead from the air or dilute it to safe levels?
- 6 Can I wear a respirator for Covid 19?
- 7 Can a respiratory hazard not be covered by OSHA?
- 8 When is an employer required to provide a respirator?
When respiratory protection is required?
An untested confined space. An oxygen-deficient atmosphere. Firefighting. Contaminants at or above 20% of their lower explosive limit (LEL—the concentration at which the gas or vapour could ignite)
Who is required to have a respiratory protection program?
OSHA requires employers to develop and implement a written respiratory protection program for situations in which permissible exposure limits (PELs) of airborne contaminants are exceeded, or when the employer requires the use of respirators by employees.
What is the specified time at or above the PEL required to participate in a medical surveillance program?
Currently, medical surveillance requirements only apply to employees who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica above the PEL for 30 or more days per year.
What OSHA regulation covers respiratory protection?
CFR 1910.134
Respiratory protection is addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, maritime, and construction. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to respiratory protection. OSHA’s revised Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134 and 29 CFR 1926.103) went into effect April 8, 1998.
Who should not wear a respirator?
The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have: (A) Facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function…” This includes not only beards and giant 70’s-style side burns, but stubble that’s long …
Can employees share respirators?
Replaceable filter respirators may be shared, but must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use before being worn by a different person, using the procedures in Appendix B-2 of 29 CFR 1910.134, or equally effective procedures recommended by the manufacturer.
Who is responsible for wearing required respiratory protection equipment on a job site?
The employer
(2) A respirator shall be provided to each employee when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of such employee. The employer shall provide the respirators which are applicable and suitable for the purpose intended.
What does the OSHA require if employees may be exposed to lead?
Your employer is required to provide an information and training program for all employees exposed to lead above the action level or who may suffer skin or eye irritation from lead compounds such as lead arsenate or lead azide. Your employer is required to keep all records of exposure monitoring for airborne lead.
Are an engineering control that may remove lead from the air or dilute it to safe levels?
Ventilation
Ventilation, either local or dilution (general), is probably the most important engineering control available to the safety and health professional to maintain airborne concentrations of lead at acceptable levels.
Does OSHA require a respiratory protection program?
OSHA considers respirators to be necessary to protect the health of its employees at those work sites where feasible engineering controls are not available or are not sufficient to protect employee health, in emergencies, and where the health of a CSHO could be at risk.
Can I wear a respirator for Covid 19?
Most HCP caring for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients should not need to use surgical N95 respirators and can use standard N95 respirators.
How are respiratory hazards evaluated without a PEL?
For evaluating respiratory hazards of chemicals without a PEL, compliance officers may refer to applicable published OELs, which include, but are not limited to, the following: Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs) issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH);
Can a respiratory hazard not be covered by OSHA?
To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA’s website at https://www.osha.gov. As you are aware, Section 5 (a) (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) is occasionally used to cite respiratory hazards from exposure to an air contaminant that is not covered by an OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL).
How is the PEL of a respirator calculated?
The levels in Table I are arrived at by multiplying the permissible exposure limit (PEL) by the protection factor assigned a specific type of respirator (half-mask, negative pressure respirators are usually assigned a protection factor of ten; ten tines the PEL of one ppm is ten ppm; etc.).
When is an employer required to provide a respirator?
Your employer is required to provide and assure your use of respirators when your exposure to lead is not controlled below the PEL by other means. The employer must pay the cost of the respirator. Whenever you request one, your employer is also required to provide you a respirator even if your air exposure level does not exceed the PEL.