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Objective
To protect the health of respirator
wearers, to ensure compliance with State
and Federal Regulations, and to prevent
respirator misuse.
General respiratory protection
requirements are found in the Code of
Federal Regulations at 29
CFR
1910.134; additional requirements
are found in industry and substance
specific worker protection
standards. A specific requirement
takes priority over general requirements.
Scope and Application
This program applies to all University of
Minnesota Duluth employees who are
required either by OSHA, or by their
Department to wear respirators during
normal work operations, and during some
non-routine or emergency operations such
as a spill of a hazardous substance.
Employee using light weight, filtering
dust masks as part of their duties ( to
protect against animal allergens, or
biological agents) will also be required
to comply with program requirements.
In addition, any employee who voluntarily
wears a reusable respirator (when
respirator is not required by either the
employer, or OSHA) is also subject to the
medical evaluation, fit testing cleaning,
maintenance, and storage elements of the
program, and must be provided with
information specified in the (voluntary use)
section of the program.
Respirators may be used at the University
of Minnesota to prevent exposure to
airborne hazards exceeding the Threshold
Limit Value (TLV), the Permissible
Exposure Limit (PEL) or which ever the
lowest. They are used only as the
last alternative and only when other
hazard control methods such as dedicated
local exhaust or area ventilation are not
feasible.
Program Responsibilities
University
Departments with Employees Using or
Required to Use Respirators
Environmental Health and
Safety:
University
Occ. Med/Medical Provider:
- Medical certification of employee
fitness
Voluntary vs. Required Use of
Respirators
Full Respiratory Protection
Program compliance is mandatory
when any respirator use (including
lightweight, single-use respirators also
called dust masks or filtering face
pieces) is required either by the employer
or by OSHA to prevent employee exposure
from exceeding the Threshold Limit Value
(TLV), or the Permissible Exposure Limit
(PEL), and Short Term Exposure Limit
(STEL) of a particular substance, or to
prevent exposures to known airborne
allergen and infectious pathogens such as
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Respirator use is voluntary
when respirators are worn in areas where
airborne concentrations of air
contaminants are below the TLV or PEL, or
when employees wish to wear a respirator
to control non-occupational conditions
such as allergies. These are
situations where OSHA does not require the
use of a respirator and respirator misuse
is not likely.
When reusable or light weight disposable
respirators are provided to employees for
voluntary use, departments must ensure
their employees
- are trained on proper use and
maintenance of respirators.
- read the information in the "Voluntary
Use of Respirators", and
- are physically able to wear
negative pressure reusable respirators
and are included in the medical
monitoring portion of the respiratory
protection program.
Full Program Compliance
Description
Full program compliance requires
departments/employers to:
- Designate a Program
Administrator (this may be
someone already assigned as a
department Safety Coordinator or a
Supervisor) (See program administrator
qualification).
- Complete the written Site-Specific
Respiratory
Protection Plan
- Conduct a Job
Hazard Analysis to identify the
respiratory hazard of concern, and
request an evaluation and estimation
of potential employee exposure.
- Complete a written Task-Specific
Safe Operating Procedure, for every
task requiring the use of respiratory
protection and the use of hazardous
substances or equipment (see SOP
template).
- Have employee fill out and send "Medical
Evaluation Questionnaire For General
Use" and assign workers to tasks
requiring the use of a respirator only
after a physician or other licensed
health care professional has evaluated
the employee's health.
(The medical provider will first
screen written responses to the
questionnaire and then follow up
with a physical examination whenever
screening raises questions about the
worker's health).
- Select appropriate respirators, Respirator
Selection will be made by the
site program Administrator in
cooperation with DEHS staff and the
employee using the respirator.
The health care professional
recommendation, the Hazard Assessment
and Air Monitoring results if
necessary will be the determining
factor on the type of respirator
selected.
- Initially and annually fit test or
(depending on the hazards and
respirators used) arrange for an Env.
Health and Safety Technician to fit
test the respirator assigned to
workers, to assure adequate face seal
is obtained (see Respirator
Fit
Testing Procedure for guidance).
- Provide a place to clean, disinfect
and dry the respirator (see Respirator
Maintenance Procedure); also, a
clean place to store them must be
provided. The respiratory
program administrator must assure that
the respirators are appropriately
maintained and repaired or replaced as
needed.
- Train workers on the use, fit, care
and limitations of respirators.
Retraining is required annually, or
anytime after a workplace change or
when an employee indicates a
deficiency of understanding.
- Ensure all employees using
respirators voluntarily comply with
the department's site specific plan
and the "Voluntary
Use of Respirators".
Governing Regulations
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