Respirator Selection -
29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(i)
- (d)(3)(iv)
All University departments whose employees are
required to use respirators
during normal work hours because of
department policy, or OSHA Standard
requirements, must select and
provide
those employees with appropriate
respirators to be used on site
based on the respiratory hazard(s) to
which they are exposed, in accordance with
OSHA standards as well as workplace and
user-specific Characteristics that may
impact the respirator performance and
reliability.
Prior to selecting respirators, the Program
Administrator must conduct a hazard
evaluation for each operation, process, or
work area where airborne contaminants may
be present in routine operations, or
during an emergency to:
- Identify and develop a list of
hazardous substances used at the site,
for each operation or work process, to
include the nature of the hazard, e.g.
toxicity, chemical and physical
properties.
- Review work processes to determine
where potential exposures of
identified hazardous
substances may occur.
- Conduct exposure monitoring to
quantify extent of potential hazardous
exposure (concentration) and time of
exposure (a DEHS Industrial Hygienist
will provide monitoring when needed).
Respirators must be selected from a
sufficient number of respirator models and
sizes so that the respirator is acceptable
to and correctly fits the employee.
All selected respirators must be
NIOSH-certified and must be used in
compliance with the conditions of
certification, and based on:
- The employee health and ability to
wear a respirator
- Work requirements and conditions
- Characteristics and limitations of
the respirators (see manufacturer
condition)
Areas where estimates of the employee
exposure cannot be reasonably identified,
the department of Environmental Health and
Safety (DEHS) must be contacted
immediately, and the area atmosphere shall
be considered to be Immediately
Dangerous
to Life and Health IDLH.
Note:
Respirators issued to prevent
overexposure to applicable health
standards must be equipped with an End
of Service Life Indicator (ESLI).
If an ESLI is not available, then the
written SOP must inform the user about
when to change the respirator or install
new cartridges.
For further assistance on how to select
proper respirators contact the UMD
Environmental Health and Safety Office
726-7273.
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