Respiratory Protection ICWUC February 2017
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Objectives Respiratory Protection Differentiate between air purifying respirators (APR s) & supplied air respirators (SAR s) List at least four limitations of APR s Differentiate between qualitative & quantitative fit testing 3 ICWUC February 2017
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Conditions Required for Use of Air Purifying Respirators(APRs) Oxygen at least 19.5%: The atmosphere must contain at least 19.5% oxygen. If there is less than 19.5%, you need a Supplied Air Respirator. Anything less than 21% should alert you to the fact that something is displacing oxygen and further monitoring needs to be done. Identify contaminants and their concentration: The identity and concentration of the contaminant must be known. APRs cannot be used with unknown substances or in unknown concentrations. Monitoring: Conditions can change. Therefore, there should be periodic monitoring of the work atmosphere whenever air-purifying respirators are used. Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH): If the oxygen level is below 19.5%, the identity of the chemical is unknown or the level of contaminant exceeds published IDLH levels, then an APR cannot be worn. If the atmosphere is IDLH, the respirator standard [(1910.134 (g)(3)] has specific procedures that must be followed. For example, at least one employee must be located outside of the IDLH atmosphere and there must be some type of communication between the employee inside the IDLH atmosphere and the one outside. The employee outside of the IDLH atmosphere must also be equipped with a supplied air respirator and have a way of retrieving the employee inside the IDLH atmosphere. Medical Evaluations: Workers must be medically evaluated by a physician or a licensed health care provider before being required to wear a respirator. This is done by either performing an evaluation using the required questionnaire in Appendix C of the Respiratory Protection Standard or by doing a medical exam that gets the same information as that on the questionnaire. Workers must be medically re-evaluated if there are any conditions that could affect respirator fit such as facial scarring, dental changes, cosmetic surgery or obvious change in body weight. 5 ICWUC February 2017
Training: Workers must be trained before being allowed to wear a respirator. The training must include items such as why the respirator is necessary, what the limitations and capabilities of the respirator are, and how to inspect, put on, and remove the respirator as well as how to check the seals of the respirator. Fit Testing: Each wearer must be properly fit tested to find the make and size of the respirator that gives the proper seal. The employer is required to provide a sufficient number of respirator models and sizes so that the respirator is acceptable to and correctly fits the worker. [29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(ii)] Even if you get a good fit with one, it is always a good idea to try other brands and sizes because you might get an even better fit. The respirator must be either qualitative or quantitatively fit tested using the required protocol outlined in Appendix A of the Respiratory Protection Standard. NIOSH Approved Respirators: The respirator (including canisters/cartridges and facepiece) must be approved by NIOSH [29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(ii) Only the cartridges/canisters approved for use with a particular facepiece may be used with that facepiece. You cannot use the facepiece from one manufacturer and cartridge/canister from another. Change of Cartridges/Canisters: The respirator must either be equipped with an end-of-service-life indicator (ESLI) certified by NIOSH for the contaminant that is based on objective information or data that will ensure that canisters and cartridges are changed before the end of their service life. The rationale for the change schedule must be described in the respirator program. [29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)]. Previously a contaminant had to have adequate warning properties or an ESLI. The problem with adequate warning properties is that not everyone may be able to detect it. 6 ICWUC February 2017