RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM 1910.134 OSHA Respiratory Protection
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Scope... 3 Definitions... 3 Responsibilities... 5 Voluntary Use... 6 Use Requirements... 6 Program Evaluation... 6 Fit Testing... 7 Training... 8 Maintenance and Care of Respirators... 9 Appendix A: Medical Questionnaire... 10 Appendix B: Voluntary Use... 11
Introduction Western Carolina University is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. Managers and supervisors are responsible for establishing and maintaining good health and safety practices. When effective engineering or administrative controls are not feasible or practical, or in emergency situations, the use of personal respiratory protective equipment may be necessary to protect the health of employees. The Respiratory Protection Program is designed to protect employees by establishing accepted practices for selection, use and care of respirators. This program is intended to meet the OSHA requirements for general industry outlined in 29 CFR 1910.134 Scope This program applies to all employees who are required to wear a respirator to prevent unnecessary exposure to airborne concentrations of toxic materials equal to or greater than the permissible limits to perform assigned duties or those who choose voluntarily to use a respirator. Definitions Air Purifying Respirator: A type of respirator with an air-purifying filter, cartridge or canister that removes specific air contaminants by passing ambient air through the air-purifying element. Negative Pressure Respirators: A respirator that fits tightly to the face, where ambient air is drawn through the air purifying element by the pressure of the inhalation of the wearer, creating a lower air pressure inside the face piece than the outside air. Positive Pressure Air Purifying Respirator: A respirator where ambient air is drawn through the air purifying element by a motor or similar device and pumped into the face piece, creating a greater air pressure inside the face piece than the outside air. Atmosphere Supplying Respirators: Respirators which provide air to the wearer from a source other than the ambient air, such as an air cylinder or air compressor. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): An atmosphere-supplying respirator where the breathing air is designed to be carried by the user. Supplied Air Respirator (SAR): An atmosphere-supplying respirator where the breathing air is supplied through an airline. Canister or Cartridge: A container with a filter, sorbent, or catalyst, or combination of these items which removes specific contaminants from air passed through the container. Exposure: The potential or actual exposure to a concentration of an airborne contaminant/pathogen that would occur if the employee is not wearing respiratory protection. Fit Factor: A quantitative estimate of the fit of a particular respirator to a specific individual, which typically estimates the ratio of the concentrate inside the respirator when worn. Filter: A component used in respirators to remove solid or liquid aerosols from inspired air.
Filtering Face Piece: A negative pressure particulate respirator with a filter as an integral part of the face piece or with the entire face piece composed of the filtering medium. Fit Test: A protocol to quantitatively or qualitatively evaluate the fit of a tight-fitting respirator on an individual. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter: A filter that is at least 99.97% effective in removing monodisperse particles of 0.3 microns in diameter and is NIOSH approved less than 40 CFR Part 84. Hood: A respiratory inlet covering that completely covers the head and neck and may also cover portions of the shoulders and torso. Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH): An atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health effects, or would impair an individual s ability to escape from the environment. For the purposes of this policy, potential oxygen deficient atmospheres are IDLH. Loose Fitting Face Piece: A respiratory inlet covering that is designed to form a partial seal with the face. N-95: The N95-level respirator is a 95% particulate respirator. It is used for solid and non-oil based particles. Applications include grinding, sanding, bagging and general processing of various minerals and other substances that do not contain oil or vapors. Particulates: Air contaminants which are in solid or liquid states, such as dusts, fumes, mists, or fibers. Parts Per Million (PPM): A measurement of the parts of an air contaminant per million parts of air. Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL): The maximum concentration of an air contaminant to which a worker is allowed to be exposed, in accordance with the stated exposure limits in 29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart Z. Physician or Other Licensed Health Care Professional (PLHCP): An individual who s legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license, registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide or be delegated the responsibility to provide some or all of the health care services required for medical clearance in compliance with the OSHA respiratory protection standard. Respirator Inlet Covering: That portion of a respirator that forms the protective barrier between the user s respiratory tract and an air-purifying device or breathing air source, or both. It may be a face piece, helmet, hood, suit, or mouthpiece respirator with hose clamp. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): An atmosphere-supplying respirator for which the breathing air source is designed to be carried by the user. Threshold limit value (TLV): The value of a chemical substance is a level to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without adverse health effects. Tight Fitting Face Piece: A respiratory inlet covering that forms a complete seal with the face. User Seal Check: An action conducted by the respirator user to determine if the respirator is properly seated to the face.
Responsibilities Safety and Risk Management Office Safety and Risk Management has the primary responsibility for the implementation and enforcement of the HCP and is responsible for the following: Developing, implementing, and evaluating the Respiratory Protection Program to ensure compliance. Assisting with identifying the task or environment requiring the use of a respirator. Providing appropriate respirators and filtering media for tasks that require the use of a respirator. Providing general information and training related to respiratory protection for affected employees. Notifying affected staff whenever a new procedure/policy change is introduced and providing additional training on the equipment. Reviewing fit test and medical records of employees. Maintaining a list of employees medically approved for use of respiratory protective equipment. Evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Supervisors Supervisors in support and administrative areas are responsible for providing the necessary direction and support to ensure the effective implementation of the Respiratory Protection Program for their work areas. Supervisors are responsible for the following: Contacting the Safety and Risk Management Office when a respirator is planned to be used. Ensuring that employees are provided with respirators at no cost. Conducting regular inspections and evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program. Attending training on the proper use and storage of a respirator. Ensuring that employees receive medical exams and are fit tested for a respirator. Ensuring the employee completes the medical questionnaire (Appendix A) for respirator used and provides this to the health care professional. Ensuring employees properly maintain the respirator to manufacture recommendations. Ensuring that employees using respirators voluntarily are provided with the information in Appendix B. Employee Employees who must use respiratory protection shall: Comply with the guidelines on respirator use. No employee shall use a respirator of any kind for work tasks unless all of the requirements of the respirator program have been met. Participate in medical clearance procedures, training sessions, tests for competency validation and fit tests. Inspect their reusable respirators before each use, and clean and disinfect after each use according to procedures for reusable respirators.
Ensure that respirators are not being worn when there is a physical impediment to continuous contact between the sealing surface of the respirator and the wearer s face. Respirators will be used, maintained, cleaned, and stored away from contamination in a clean, sanitary place, and on a flat surface in a sealed container. Avoid extreme temperatures. Do not hang respirator by its straps and disinfect it in accordance with manufacturer s recommendations. Remove all facial hair when a respirator is worn. Report any significant changes or problems to their supervisor. Do not reuse a contaminated N95 respirator and dispose of properly. Voluntary Use Employees who voluntarily use a respirator shall: Contact your supervisor for approval to use a respirator. Contact the Safety and Risk Management Office when a respirator is planned to be used. Review the information contained in this program. Read and sign Appendix B for voluntary use. Inspect the respirator before each use. Report any significant changes or problems to the supervisor. The employee also must do the following: Read and heed all instructions provided by the manufacturer on use, maintenance, cleaning, care and warnings regarding the reusable respirator s limitations. Choose respirators certified for use to protect against the contaminant of concern. A label of statement of certification should appear on the respirator or respirator packaging. It will tell you what the respirator is designed for and how much it will protect you. Do not wear the respirator into atmospheres containing contaminants for which the respirator is not designed. For example, a respirator designed to filter dust particles will not protect the employee against gases, vapors, or very small solid particles of fumes or smoke. Use Requirements Respirators are considered an acceptable method of protecting the health of employees only under the following circumstances: When it has been determined by all parties there are no feasible engineering or work practice controls that can be used to adequately control the hazard. Where required during intermittent, non-routine operations. During the interim periods when engineering controls are being designed and/or installed for a particular hazardous operation. During emergency situations. During voluntary use where respiratory protection is not required. Program Evaluation Program Evaluation will be conducted to ensure compliance and contain at a minimum the following elements:
Employee s ability to use assigned respirator properly without interfering with effective workplace performance. The employee is using the correct respirator in accordance with identified task. Ensure all respirators being used are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Medical evaluation of employees using respirators. That respirators are maintained properly in the work area to manufactures recommendations. Training of employees to recognize potential hazards during routine and emergency situations. Training of employees on how to properly use a respirator and what the limitations are. Fit Testing General Requirements: All employees that are required to use a respirator with a negative or positive pressure tightfitting face-piece will be fit tested. The same make, model, style and size respirator will be used to conduct the fire test. The program administrator or other designated personnel shall perform required fit tests following receipts of the medical clearance. At a minimum all personnel must pass a qualitative respirator fit test (QLFT) before being allowed to use a tight-fitting face piece respirator. At the discretion of Safety and Risk Management, some personnel and/or task may require a Quantitative Fit Test (QNFT). Respirator users shall pass a fit test prior to initial use of the respirator, or whenever a different respirator (size, style model, or make) is used, and at least annually thereafter. Respirator users shall pass an additional fit test whenever the PLHCP, supervisor, or respiratory protection program administrator observes changes in the employee's physical condition that could affect the fit of the respirator (facial scarring, dental changes, cosmetic surgery, or obvious body weight change). Fit tests shall be administered using procedures specified by OSHA in 29 CFR 1910.134(f). Fit testing documentation will include: The name or identification of the employee tested. Type of fit test performed. Specific make, model, style and size of respirator tested. Date of test. Pass or fail results of the fit test. Fit testing is to include: Showing the employee the proper way to don a respirator, proper positioning, strap tension and determining if there is an acceptable fit. When assessing comfort, ask about: o Position on the nose. o Room for eye protection (have them put on eye protection if applicable). o Room to talk. o Position on face and cheeks.
Determining adequacy of respirator fit by checking: o Chin placement. o Strap tension. o Fit across nose and face. o Size of the respirator goes from nose to chin. o Look in mirror for self-observation. o Have employee move head up and down and side to side while taking slow, deep breaths in order to seat the mask on face. Employee conducts a user seal check in accordance with manufacturer s recommendations. Fit testing exercises. o Normal breathing - one minute. o Deep breathing - one minute (slow deep breaths in order not to hyperventilate). o Turn head from side to side - inhale at each side one minute. o Move head up and down - inhale in the up position one minute. o Talk - Read prepared text (rainbow passage) or count backward from 100. o Bend over - at waist, pretend touching toes, or jogging in place one minute. o Normal breathing - one minute. Training Training shall be provided so employees will understand the purpose and function of the program. Trainings shall include the following: 1. Supervisors shall insure personnel required to use or to supervise other personnel using respiratory protective devices are provided training. 2. Personnel that are required to use respirators will be trained concerning the reasons for the use of respiratory protective devices and instructions on proper selection, use, and maintenance. Supervisors and employees shall be instructed by a competent person knowledgeable in the area of respiratory protection or by electronic means approved by the Safety and Risk Management Office. Training shall include: Why use a respirator. How improper fit, usage or maintenance can compromise the protective effect of the respirator. Limitations and capacities of the respirator. Emergency use of the respirator including times when the respirator malfunctions. How to inspect, put on, and remove and check the seals of the respirator. Proper procedures for maintenance and storage of the respirator. How to recognize medical signs and symptoms that may limit or prevent the effective use of respirators. The general requirements of 1910.134 and the Respiratory Protection Program. 3. Training will be conducted annually. Training will be provided prior to the utilization of respiratory protection in the workplace.
4. Refresher training will be administered annually and in the following situations: Change in the workplace conditions. Change in the type of respirator used, rendering the previous training obsolete. Indications that the respirator user did not retain the sufficient knowledge or skills necessary to properly utilize a respirator. 5. The employee's training record is maintained for the period the employee is engaged in tasks requiring the use of the respirator plus 30 years after their last day of state employment. Maintenance and Care of Respirators Each respirator will be maintained in a clean, sanitary condition and good working order. Respirators will be cleaned at least daily or after each shift. Respirators used by more than person shall be cleaned and disinfected before being worn by different individuals. Disposable respirators shall be disposed of when no longer fit for use and at a minimum daily. Respirators used for fit testing and training will be cleaned after each use. All respirators will be stored to protect the respirator and prevent damage, contamination, dust accumulation, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, and chemicals from damaging the respirator. Respirators will be inspected before each use and during cleaning. The respirator inspection will include: o A check of function, tightness of connection, and condition of parts such as the face piece, head strap, valves, and filters. o The elastomeric parts will be checked for pliability and signs of deterioration. Replacement will occur when: o Respirators that fail inspection or are otherwise found to be defective will be removed from service and repaired or disposed of. o Respirator cartridges and filters shall be changed after 8 hours of use or 2 weeks after opening, whichever occurs first. Employees shall mark on each cartridge how long it has been in service.
Appendix A: Medical Questionnaire Physician Opinion Letter Medical Respirator Certification Employee Name Date Division Site Location (above completed by employee) (to be completed by physician or health care professional) I have examined the above named applicant/employee and find as follows: 1. The examination indicated no significant medical impairment. Can be assigned any work consistent with skills and training and may use protective clothing and a negative pressure air purifying respirator. 2. The examination indicates a medical impairment currently exists that limits respirator use as follows: cannot wear a negative air purifying respirator can wear a negative air purifying respirator only under these conditions: 3. Applicant/employee should be reevaluated in ( ) year(s). Note: If not otherwise stipulated, the employee will be reevaluated every 5 years. I have informed the applicant/employee of pertinent results and findings of this examination and a copy of this opinion letter has been issued to him/her. Physicians/Health Care Professional Signature Address Date Telephone Number I have received a copy of this letter. Safety Office Date
Appendix B: Voluntary Use Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard When properly selected and worn, respirators are an effective method of protection against designated hazards. Respirator use is encouraged, to provide an additional level of comfort and protection for workers even when exposures are below the exposure limit. However, if a respirator is used improperly or not kept clean, the respirator itself can become a hazard to the worker. Sometimes, workers may wear respirators to avoid exposures to hazards, even if the amount of hazardous substance does not exceed the limits set by OSHA standards. If your employer provides respirators for your voluntary use, or if you provide your own respirator, you need to take certain precautions to be sure that the respirator itself does not present a hazard. You must do the following: 1. Read and heed all instructions provided by the manufacturer on use, maintenance, cleaning and care, and warnings regarding the respirators limitations. 2. Choose respirators certified for use to protect against the contaminant of concern. NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, certifies respirators. A label or statement of certification should appear on the respirator or respirator packaging. It will tell you what the respirator is designed for and how much it will protect you. 3. Do not wear your respirator into atmospheres containing contaminants for which your respirator is not designed to protect against. For example, a respirator designed to filter dust particles will not protect you against gases, vapors, or very small solid particles of fumes or smoke. 4. Keep track of your respirator so that you do not mistakenly use someone else s respirator. I have read and understand this information. Employee Signature Printed Name Date