RespiratorsChapter 296-842, WAC |
Effective Date: 12/01/09 |
Respirator Selection |
For
printing
| Select and provide appropriate respirators |
Select and provide appropriate respirators
Important:
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This section does NOT apply to respirator use that is voluntary. See WAC 296-842-11005 for voluntary use program requirements |
See chapter 296-841 WAC, Airborne Contaminants, for:
- Hazard evaluation requirements. Evaluation results are necessary for respirator selection.
- References to substance-specific rules that may also apply to you and have additional respirator selection requirements. These references are found in the permissible exposure limit (PEL) table.
A respirator shall be provided to each employee when such equipment is necessary to protect the health of the employee.
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Helpful Tool: Information about Respirator Selection and Classification This document provides guidance about respirator selection and classification. You can find a copy in the Resources section of this chapter. |
• Select and provide, at no cost to employees, appropriate respirators for routine use, infrequent use, and reasonably foreseeable emergencies (such as escape, emergency, and spill response situations) by completing the following process:
Respirator Selection Process
Step 1: If your only respirator use is for escape,
skip to Step 8 to select appropriate respirators.
Step 2: If the respiratory hazard is a biological
aerosol, such as TB (tuberculosis), anthrax, psittacosis (parrot
fever), or hanta virus, select a respirator appropriate for nonemergency
activities recognized to present a health risk to workers and
skip to Step 8.
- If respirator use will occur during emergencies, skip to Step 8 and document the analysis used to select the appropriate respirator.
- Use Centers for Disease Control (CDC) selection guidance for exposures to specific biological agents when this guidance exists. Visit http://www.cdc.gov.
Step 3: If the respiratory
hazard is a pesticide, follow the respirator specification on
the pesticide label and skip to Step 9.
Step 4: Determine the expected exposure concentration
for each respiratory hazard of concern. Use the results from the
evaluation required by chapter
296-841 WAC, Airborne Contaminants .
Step 5: Determine if the respiratory hazard is classified as IDLH; if it's not IDLH skip to Step 7.
- The respiratory hazard is classified
as IDLH if:
– The atmosphere is oxygen deficient or oxygen enriched;
or
– You can't measure or estimate your expected exposure concentration;
or
– Your measured or estimated expected exposure concentration is greater or equal to the IDLH value in the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.
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Note:
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Step 6: Select an appropriate respirator from one of the following respirators for IDLH conditions and skip to Step 8:
• Full-facepiece, pressure demand, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) certified by NIOSH for a minimum service life of 30 minutes;
or
• Full-facepiece, pressure demand air-line respirator equipped with an auxiliary self-contained air supply.
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If the respiratory hazard is oxygen deficiency and you can show oxygen concentrations can be controlled within the ranges listed in Table 4 under all foreseeable conditions, you are allowed to select any type of SCBA or air-line respirator:
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Step 7: Select respirator types with assigned protection factors (APFs) from Table 5 that are appropriate to protect employees from the expected exposure concentration.
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Note: Appendix B, using Assigned Protection Factors (APFs) for respirator selection, found in this chapter, uses the hazard-ratio approach established by ANSI Z88.2-1992 to determine which respirator types can provide a sufficient level of protection. If no Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) is established for an airborne contaminant, use relevant available information and informed professional judgment to determine an acceptable exposure limit value to use for calculating hazard ratios. For example, you may use exposure limit values established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).
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Step 8: Consider hazards
that could require selection of specific respirator types. For
example, select full-facepiece respirators to prevent eye irritation
or abrasive blasting helmets to provide particle rebound protection.
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Note: Rules for specific substances have additional selection specifications that apply to escape and other types of respirators. Make sure you follow those additional requirements before finalizing your selection.
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Step 9: Evaluate user and workplace factors that might compromise respirator performance, reliability or safety.
Examples:
- High humidity or temperature extremes in the workplace.
- Necessary voice communication.
- High traffic areas and moving machinery.
- Time or distance for escape.
- If respirator use is for escape only, follow this step and then skip to Step 11.
- If the respiratory hazard is a pesticide, follow the requirements on the pesticide label and skip to 11 .
Step 10: Follow Table 6 requirements to select an air-purifying respirator.
- If Table 6 requirements can’t be met, you must select an appropriate air-line respirator or an SCBA.
Step 11: Make sure respirators you select are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- Respirators provided exclusively for escape from IDLH atmospheres must be NIOSH-certified for escape from the atmosphere in which they will be used.
- To maintain certification, make sure the respirator is used according to cautions and limitations specified on the NIOSH approval label. This includes manufacturer restrictions on cartridges and canisters.
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Note: While selecting respirators, you will need to select a sufficient number of types, models or sizes to provide for fit testing. You can also consider other respirator use issues, such as accommodating facial hair with a loose fitting respirator. |
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Helpful Tool: Key Information about NIOSH Certified Respirators This document will help you understand how to find and use NIOSH certification information. You can find a copy in the Resources section of this chapter. |
Use Table 5 to identify the assigned protection factor for different types of respirators.
These assigned protection factors are only effective when the employer implements a continuing, effective respirator program as required by this chapter, including training, fit testing, maintenance, and use requirements.
You may select respirators assigned for use in higher workplace concentrations of a hazardous substance for use at lower concentrations of that substance, or when required use is independent of concentration.
| If the respirator is a(n) | Then the APF is |
| Air-purifying respirator with a: |
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5 |
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10 |
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50 |
Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) with a: |
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25 |
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50 |
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1000 |
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25/1000 (see note) |
Air-line respirator with a: |
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10 |
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25 |
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50 |
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50 |
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50 |
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1000 |
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1000 |
Note: Air-line respirators with helmets/hoods designed to operate in continuous-flow mode may receive an APF of 1000 when you have evidence that testing of these respirators demonstrates performance at a level of protection of 1,000 or greater. Such evidence must be provided by the respirator manufacturer. This level of performance can best be demonstrated by performing a workplace protection factor (WPF) or simulated workplace protection factor (SWPF) study or equivalent testing. |
25/1000 (see note)
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Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) with a tight fitting: |
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10 |
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50 |
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10,000 |
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50 |
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10,000 |
| Combination respirators: | |
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| Escape respirators: | |
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Use Table 6 to select air-purifying respirators for particle,
vapor, or gas contaminants.
| If the contaminant is a | Then |
| Gas or vapor | Provide a respirator with canisters or cartridges equipped with a NIOSH-certified, end-of-service-life indicator (ESLI) or or |
| Particle, such as a dust, spray, mist, fog, fume, or aerosol | Select respirators with filters certified to be at least 95% efficient by NIOSH. For example, N95s, R99s, P100s, or High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters
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