STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS Office of the Adjutant General St. Francis Barracks, P.O. Box 1008 St. Augustine, Florida 32085-1008 ADMF 19 September 1985 DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS Florida Army National Guard Pamphlet 40-5-3 1 October 1985 SAFETY Respiratory Protection Program Supersession: None Applicability: This regulation applies to all military and civilian personnel in the Florida Army National Guard whose work requires the use of respiratory protective equipment to include air purifying devices, atmospheric supplying devices and self-contained underwater breathing apparatus used in diving operations. This supplement does not include the wearing of military gas masks when used during tactical NBC situations or self-contained breathing apparatus used in Army aircraft. Suggested Improvements: The Proponent agency of this Pamphlet is the Florida Army National Guard, Director of Administration, Department of Military Affairs. Users are invited to send comments and suggested improvements on DA Form 2028 (Recommend Changes to Publications) directly to TAG-FL, (ATTN: ADMF), St. Francis Barracks, P.O. Box 1008, St. Augustine, FL 32085-1008. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PARAGRAPH PAGE CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose 1-1 2 References 1-2 2 Scope 1-3 2 Definitions 1-4 2 Policy 1-5 2-3 CHAPTER 2 RESPONSIBILITIES Adjutant General 2-1 3-4 Safety Manager 2-2 4 Occupational Health Nurse 2-3 4-5 Support Personnel Management Office 2-4 5 Commanders/Supervisors 2-5 5 Users of Respiratory Equipment 2-6 5-6 Glossary G-1 G-2
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1. Purpose: To establish a respiratory protection program in the Florida Army National Guard and to comply with the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1910.134, Respiratory Protection and TB Med 502, Respiratory Protection Program. 1-2. References: a. AR 40-5 Health & Environment dated June 1985 AR 385-10 Army National Guard Safety Program dated November 1983 b. TB Med 502 Respiratory Protection Program dated February 1982 c. Title 29, CFR, 1981 rev. Part 1910, Occupational Safety & Health Standards, Section 1025. Lead. 1-3 Scope: This regulation provides for: a. The identification and evaluation of operations at which respiratory protection is required and the correct respirator for use at those operations. b. The determination of employee physical and physiological fitness for respiratory protection use and periodic medical surveillance. c. Fitting employees with respiratory protection devices. d. Cleaning and maintaining respiratory equipment. e. Training in the correct use of respiratory protective equipment. f. Record keeping necessary for an effective respiratory protection program. 1-4 Definition of Terms: Definition of terms used in the publication are found in the glossary of Terms 1-5 Policy: a. All respiratory protective equipment used in the Florida Army National Guard will be approved by NIOSH and MSHA unless otherwise directed by DA. b. Respiratory protection, as an effective method of protecting the health of military and civilian personnel, will only be used under the following circumstances. (1) When there are no feasible engineering control that can be used to adequately control the hazard. (2) During intermittent or non-routine operations.
(3) During interim periods when engineering controls are being designed and/or installed. (4) During emergencies. c. Respirators requiring a good face piece-to-face seal to be effective will not be considered adequate when user conditions prevent such. Typical conditions may be growth of beard, sideburns, a skull cap that projects under the face piece, temple pieces on corrective spectacles or goggles or the absence of one or both dentures. (1) Where possible, measures will be taken to correct conditions that prevent a good face piece-to-face seal. (2) Where a good face piece-to-face seal is not possible but required, the employee will not be allowed to work in an area requiring respirator protection. d. Contact lenses shall not be worn in hazardous environment without appropriate covering safety eyewear. Contact lenses shall not be allowed for use with respirators equipped with full face piece, helmet, hood or suit. e. Where respiratory protective equipment is used in atmosphere immediately dangerous to life or health, a standby person or personnel with visual, voice and signal line contact will be present with suitable equipment for emergency rescue. f. Compressed air cylinders for self contained respiratory protection will be maintained as prescribed in Shipping Container Specifications of the Department of Transportation (49 CFR part 178) and will be filled with compressed air that meets the requirements as described in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard ZX86.1/Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Specification G-7.1-1973. g. Any air compressors supplying air shall be equipped with the necessary safety and standby devices as described in paragraph 1910.134(d) of the OSHA Standards. CHAPTER 2 RESPONSIBILITES 2-1 The Adjutant General will establish policies and responsibilities to: a. Provide each employee with a healthy work environment free of respiratory hazards that are likely to cause illness or injury. b. Comply with pertinent directives and policies through functional managers and first line supervisors. c. Ensure that each first line supervisor is provided a list of personnel under their control requiring medical surveillance. 2-2. The Safety Manager will:
a. Conduct regular inspections of work areas to assure continued effectiveness of the respiratory protection program. b. Check gas containers to ensure proper labeling. c. Check self-contained respirators to ensure that breathing gas cylinders are marked as specified in ANSI Standard Z86.1-1954(R1971). d. Notify the Occupational Health Nurse of all operations reported and/or noted during surveys and inspections where a need for respiratory protection is suspected. e. Establish an abatement program to alleviate the need for respiratory protection through engineering controls when advised by the industrial hygienist that such controls are feasible. 2-3. The Occupational Health Nurse will: a. Provide guidance and information to promote and implement the respiratory protection program. b. Provide training and guidance upon request concerning the safe use of respirators in dangerous atmospheres. c. Review the respiratory protection program periodically and conduct on-site evaluations to ensure it is functioning well, that maximum protection is provided to the user and to determine the feasibility of engineering controls, and advise the State Safety Manger of the findings. d. Maintain and provide the Safety Office and user directorate with updates of all operations by location, at which respiratory protective equipment is required. e. Conduct sampling for air quality on all sources of supplies air. f. Evaluate personnel assigned or being considered for tasks requiring the use of respiratory protective equipment to ensure they are physically and physiologically capable of wearing respiratory equipment. g. Periodically monitor personnel required to use respiratory protection, maintain a record of the monitoring and recommend action when the monitoring indicates an abnormal finding. h. Perform required fit testing upon issue of respirators and maintain records of all individuals fitted. i. Inspect respiratory equipment for damage and cleanliness. 2-4 Support Personnel Management Office will: a. Provide support to supervisors and other individuals responsible for ensuring or enforcing the requirements of the Respiratory Protection Program.
b. Refer personnel being considered for employment in areas or at operations requiring the use of respiratory protective equipment to the Occupational Health nurses for evaluation. 2-5. Commander/supervisors will: a. Ensure that personnel being interviewed for positions requiring the use of respiratory protection are aware of this requirement, the reason for the requirement and the importance of complying with the requirement. b. Ensure users receive initial and periodic medical monitoring as recommended by the Occupational Health Nurse. c. Ensure users are supplies appropriate respiratory protection equipment and use and care for the equipment correctly. d. Report all operations at which a need for respiratory protection equipment is suspected to the State Safety Office. e. Ensure that users are award the respirators are personal property and should not be use by other because of hygiene reasons and improper fitting. f. Provide a location for proper storage of respiratory protective equipment. 2-6. Users of respiratory protection equipment will: a. Wear and care for respiratory protection equipment in accordance with TB Med 502 paragraph 2-7. b. Ensure that the device is clean of all visible contaminate acquired during the performance of work on a daily basis. c. Ensure that such devices are properly stored so that face pieces and other parts rest in their normal positions without deformation. d. Inspect the respirator for fit and to ensure it is in good operating condition. e. Ensure the wearing of respiratory protection devices in hazardous environments. f. Report to supervisor and/or the Safety Office suspected hazards or conditions. BY ORDER OR THE GOVERNOR: ROBERT F. ENSSLIN, JR Major General, FLARNG The Adjutant General
OFFICIAL: FRANKLIN M. PERSONS Colonel, INF, FLARNG Director, Administration DISTRIBUTION: A
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Approved: Tested and listed as satisfactory by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) or the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Contaminant: A harmful, irritating or nuisance material in concentrations exceeding those normally found in the ambient air. Disinfection: The destruction of pathogenic organisms, especially by means of chemical substances. Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health: A condition posing an immediate threat to life or health, or an immediate threat of severe exposure to contaminants likely to have adverse delayed effects on health. This condition includes atmospheres where oxygen content by volume is less than 16 percent. Intermittent Use of Respiratory Protective Equipment: Operations performed less than 1 hour per day for 1 day a week. Oxygen-Deficient Atmosphere: volume. An atmosphere containing 19.5 percent or less oxygen by Permanent Use of Respiratory Protective Equipment: Operations performed greater than 1 hour a day for 1 day a week. Respirator: An approved device designed to provide the wearer with respiratory protection against inhalation of airborne contaminants and for some devices, oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Respiratory Equipment Categories: Respiratory equipment used to protect workers from airborne contaminants (and oxygen-deficient atmosphere) fall under one (or more) of the following categories: a. Air Purifying respirators: (1) participate removing (2) gas and vapor removing (3) combination participate and gas and vapor removing b. Atmospheric supplying respirators: (1) Supplies - air (a) Airline respirator demand regulator pressure-demand regulator continuous flow regulator
(b) Hose Mask with blower without blower (2) Self-Contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) (a) (b) pressure-demand regulator demand regulator c. Combination air purifying and atmosphere supplying d. Combination supplied air and self-contained breathing apparatus. Supervisor: Individual directly responsible for the supervision and administration of work duties and performance evaluation of workers performing operations where actual or potential exposure to atmospheric contaminants. User: Any individual who uses respiratory protective equipment. (Does not include the use of an apparatus intended to protect the ambient air from contamination, i.e., use of a surgical mask in a surgical suite.)