WAC 296-842-13005

Select and provide appropriate respirators

Important:

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.

• 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

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

Exemption: 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:   Table 4 Concentration Ranges for Oxygen Deficiency Altitude (as ft. above seal level) Oxygen Concentration Range (as percent oxygen) Below 3,001 16.0 -19.5 3,001 - 4, 000 16.4 -19.5 4,001 - 5,000 17.1 -19.5 5,001 - 6,000 17.8 -19.5 6,001 -7,000 18.5 -19.5 7,001 - 8,000 19.3 -19.5 Above 8,000 feet the exception does not apply. Oxygen-enriched breathing air must be supplied above 14,000 feet.

Step 7: Select respirator types with assigned protection factors (APFs) from Table 5 that are appropriate to protect employees from the expected exposure concentration.

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.

Step 9: Evaluate user and workplace factors that might compromise respirator performance, reliability or safety.

If the respiratory hazard is a pesticide, follow the requirements on the pesticide label and skip to Step 11.

Examples:

• High humidity or temperature extremes in the workplace.
• Necessary voice communication.
• High traffic areas and moving machinery.
• 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 .

• Time or distance for escape.

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.

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.

Use Table 6 to select air-purifying respirators for particle, vapor, or gas contaminants.