Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State

Respirators Chapter 296-842, WAC

Effective Date: 12/01/09

Required Procedures for Respiratory Protection Program	For printing

Use this medical questionnaire for medical evaluations	WAC 296-842-22005
Follow these fit-testing procedures for tight-fitting respirators	WAC 296-842-22010
Follow procedures established for cleaning and disinfecting respirators	WAC 296-842-22015
Follow procedures established for seal checking respirators	WAC 296-842-22020

WAC 296-842-22005

Use this medical questionnaire for medical evaluations

• Use the medical questionnaire in Table 10 when conducting medical evaluations.

Note: • You may use a physical exam instead of this questionnaire if the exam covers the same information as the questionnaire. • You may use online questionnaires if the questions are the same and the requirements in WAC 296-842-14005 of this chapter are met. • You may choose to send the questionnaire to the LHCP ahead of time, giving time to review it and add any necessary questions. • The LHCP determines what questions to add to the questionnaire, if any; however, questions in Parts 1-3 may not be deleted or substantially altered.

TABLE 10 - Medical Questionnaire (English)

TABLE 10 - Medical Questionnaire (Spanish)

WAC 296-842-22010

Follow these fit-testing procedures for tight-fitting respirators

Important:

• This section contains procedural requirements that apply during actual fit testing.
• See WAC 296-842-15005 of this chapter for fit-testing requirements that apply to your overall program.

 

Exemption: This section does not apply to employees who: • Voluntarily use respirators; or • Are required to use mouthpiece respirators.

(1) Follow the procedure in Table 11 to choose a respirator for fit testing:

• (a) Prior to conducting fit tests;
  and
• (b) Any time your employee must select a different respirator such as when a previously selected respirator fails a test.

(2) Select and follow at least one of the following fit test procedures:

(a) Qualitative fit-test procedures:

- Isoamyl acetate vapor (IAA, banana oil) in Table 12;

- Saccharine aerosol in Table 13;

- Bitrex™ aerosol in Table 14;

- Irritant smoke inTable 15;

(b) Quantitative fit-test procedures:

- Ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter such as the Portacount™, in Table 16;

- Controlled negative pressure (CNP) such as the FitTester 3000™, in Table 17;

- Generated aerosol in Table 18.

(3) Make sure employees perform the appropriate fit test exercises listed in Table 19.

 

(4) Clean and maintain equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

(5) Make sure during fit testing employees wear any safety equipment that could:

(a) Interfere with respirator fit;
and

(b) Be worn in the workplace. For example, chemical splash goggles.

(6) Check, prior to fit testing, for conditions that may interfere with the respirator seal or valve functions. If you find such conditions, do not conduct fit testing for that individual.

 

Note: Examples of conditions that may interfere with the respirator seal or valve functions include: • Moustache, stubble, sideburns, bangs, hairline, and other types of facial hair in areas where the respirator facepiece seals or that interfere with valve function. • Temple bars of corrective eyewear or headgear that extend through the face seal area.

WAC 296-842-22015

Follow procedures established for cleaning and disinfecting respirators

• Follow the procedures in Table 20 for cleaning and disinfecting respirators.

TABLE 20

WAC 296-842-22020

Follow procedures established for seal checking respirators

Make sure employees perform a user seal check as outlined in Table 21 each time the respirator is worn, to make sure the seal is adequate.

Important:

• User seal checks are not a substitute for fit tests. See
WAC 296-842-22010 for fit test procedures.

• You may use a seal check procedure recommended by the respirator manufacturer instead of the procedure outlined in Table 21 if you can demonstrate the procedure is based on a scientific study that, for example, demonstrates the procedure effectively identifies respirators that fit poorly when put on or adjusted.

 

TABLE 21