If an employer requires the use of
respirators it is necessary for the employer to provide:
- Medical evaluations of employees required to use respirators;
-
Fit testing for tight-fitting
respirators;
-
Training of employees in the
respiratory hazards to which they are potentially exposed during
routine and emergency situations;
-
Training of employees in the proper
use of respirators, including putting on and removing them, any
limitations on their use, and their maintenance.
|
| |
| (c)(2) |
| Where respirator use is not
required: |
| |
|
(c)(2)(i) |
| An employer may provide
respirators at the request of employees or permit employees to use
their own respirators, if the employer determines that such
respirator use will not in itself create a hazard. If the employer
determines that any voluntary
respirator use is permissible, the employer shall provide the
respirator users with the information contained in Appendix D to
this section ("Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not
Required Under the Standard" [included at the end of this
document]); and |
| |
| (c)(2) |
| In addition, the employer must
establish and implement those elements of a written respiratory
protection program necessary to ensure that any employee using a
respirator voluntarily is medically able to use that respirator, and
that the respirator is cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its
use does not present a health hazard to the user. Exception:
Employers are not required to include in a written respiratory
protection program those employees whose only use of respirators
involves the voluntary use of
filtering facepieces (dust
masks). |
If an employer allows
voluntary use of respirators it is
necessary for the employer to provide:
- Medical evaluations of employees using respirators;
- Training of employees in the proper use of respirators,
including putting on and removing them, any limitations on their
use, and their maintenance
|
| The above requirements do not
pertain to the voluntary use of
filtering facepieces (dust
masks). No respiratory protection program is required and no other
requirements apply. |
| |
Appendix D to Sec. 1910.134
(Mandatory) Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required
Under the Standard
| Respirators are an effective
method of protection against designated hazards when properly
selected and worn. Respirator use is encouraged, even when exposures
are below the exposure limit, to provide an additional level of
comfort and protection for workers. 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, of 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 should do the following: |
- Read and heed all instructions provided by the manufacturer on
use, maintenance, cleaning and care, and warnings regarding the
respirators limitations.
- 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.
- 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.
- Keep track of your respirator so that you do not mistakenly
use someone else's respirator.
|
[63 FR 1152, Jan. 8, 1998; 63 FR 20098, April
23, 1998]
| The Definition of
Filtering Facepiece is: (dust mask) means a negative pressure
particulate respirator with a filter as an integral part of the
facepiece or with the entire facepiece composed of the filtering
medium. Examples include the following: |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
A 95 filtering facepiece |
A 95 filtering facepiece |
A 100 filtering facepiece |
| |
|
The Definition of Voluntary Use is: Voluntary use is when an
employee chooses to wear a respirator, even though the use of a respirator
is not required by either you or by any OSHA standard.
There is no definition for the term “voluntary use” in the OSHA
standard, the above definition came from OSHA’s “Small Business Entity
Guide” page C3.
