Clearing the Air About Disposable Dust Masks Always be sure that you have chosen the correct mask for the application and that you follow all of the manufacturer's recommendations and all OSHA requirements. The president of Chicago's Trauma Risk Management Research Institute has history with Chernobyl and has invented an "emergency bra," with two cups that can separated and strapped on over the faces of two people to act as air-filtering masks. The RAD EBra model comes with a radiation sensor insert. The manufacturer can also take any bra provided by a customer and perform alterations to turn it into an EBra. This a true bit of trivia; I know because, out of curiosity, I bought one! I've debated about the political correctness of using it for employee respirator training. I recently presented an OH&S webinar on respiratory protection. Most of the questions asked by attendees related to the application of the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard, 1910.134, to disposable dust masks, which OSHA calls "filtering facepieces."

In 1910.134(b), OSHA includes the following definition: "Filtering facepiece (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." An OSHA Letter of Interpretation1 dated Nov. 22, 2011, clearly addresses a number of questions regarding filtering facepieces. The bottom line is yes, all of the requirements outlined in the Respiratory Protection Standard do apply to use of these masks if they are required by the employer to protect an employee from any form of dust that exceeds the OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). The only exception is if use is voluntary (Ref 1910.134(c)(2)). When the exposure does not exceed the PEL, dust masks may be made available to employees for voluntary use, or employees may use their own. The decision to permit voluntary use lies with the employer. The only requirements that apply are: This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

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We have been supplying respirators to the UK Ministry of Defence and other NATO allies since the 1920’s and we are the primary supplier of CBRN respiratory equipment to all United States Department of Defense Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Special Operations Forces.This program is designed to help reduce employee and student exposure to occupational air contaminants such as: dust, fumes, mists, gasses, vapors, microorganisms, and radionuclides. Where feasible, exposure to contaminants will be eliminated by either engineering controls (i.e., general and local exhaust ventilation, enclosure, or isolation), or substitution of a less hazardous process or material. When effective engineering controls or substitution are not feasible, use of personal protective respiratory equipment may be required. The purpose of this program is to determine the following information: This program shall be administered pursuant to the requirements of the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard, 29CFR 1910.134 (Revised April 8, 1998) attached to this document.

Yeshiva University is committed to maintaining a healthful and safe work environment. Yeshiva University is responsible for establishing this respiratory protection program to assist in reducing or eliminating workplace exposure to hazardous materials. The Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S): The EH&S Department is responsible for the management of this program. Specific employees in the Department have responsibilities as follows: The YU Safety Specialist and Albert Einstein College of Medicine Industrial Hygienist are charged with the following responsibilities: Supervisors are charged with the responsibility to: Employees have the responsibility to: The Medical Exam contractor has the responsibility to: Operations and processes will be monitored for potential respiratory hazards, according to accepted industrial hygiene practices. Personal sampling equipment may be used in accordance with accepted industrial hygiene standards to sample an area.

Decisions regarding the use of respiratory protection may be based upon these results or by a reasonable and conservative estimate of these hazards. Respirator use is mandatory in areas considered hazardous and will comply with 29 CFR 1910.134 or 1926.110. Voluntary use of respirators is not permitted in areas that are considered non-hazardous at YU and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Atmosphere or air-supplying respirators provide breathable air from a source of air which is independent from the ambient atmosphere. There are three classes of atmosphere-supplying respirators: Combination air-purifying and atmosphere-supplying devices have an auxiliary air-purifying attachment, which provides protection in the event the air supply fails. WORKERS USING RESPIRATORS MUST BE SPECIFICALLY TRAINED FOR THE RESPIRATOR THEY ARE PLANNING TO USE. Respirators currently approved by Environmental Health and Safety Department are: The following cartridges are available at the EH&S Department.

Listed are their colors and usage: Wherever respiratory protection is required, NIOSH-approved respirators, appropriate to the hazards, shall be selected by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine EH&S Department. Selection is based upon physical and chemical properties of air contaminants and concentration levels likely to be encountered by employees. Respirators will be made immediately available to each new hire or transferee to a job where respiratory protection is required. Respirators shall be selected in compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements (29CFR 1910.134 and 29CFR 1926.1101). Areas where respirators may be required: Respiratory protection shall be required in any work area that has the potential to create an environment where the atmospheric contamination levels exceed the OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs) for the specific contaminant. Respiratory protection is always required to be worn in accordance with 29CFR 1926.1101 in any area where workers' tasks may disturb known or potential asbestos-containing material.

Self-contained breathing apparatuses may be required to be worn when filtered respirators are not adequate. These may include areas with insufficient oxygen, where contaminants are at a level Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH), or the contaminant levels are unknown. Prior to the issuance of a respirator all employees shall complete a medical questionnaire. (See 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix C.) This questionnaire must be approved by a Physician or Licensed Health Care Professional (PLHCP) before issuance of an N95 respirator. Medical examinations will be given to any employee at the discretion of the PLHCP. For Half-Face, Full-Face, PAPR, and SCBA Respirator users Prior to the issuance of a respirator all employees shall complete a medical questionnaire, (See 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix C.), and receive a medical exam to determine the employee's physical ability to wear a respirator. This exam shall be provided without cost to each eligible employee. The proper fit of respiratory equipment to the user is determined by a qualitative fit test procedure according to 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix A.

Employees who take part in this program are not permitted to wear beards unless they provide: Employees must provide EH&S with a written personal statement for a religious exemption and a written physician's statement for a medical exemption. Respiratory protection for these employees will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Fit testing shall be performed according to the following schedule: Employees are responsible to check their respirators for fit prior to each use by performing negative and positive seal checks as described in 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix B-1. If these checks are not successful, the respirator should not be used. Employees must pass both the medical examination and the fit test in order to wear a respirator. Employees may not wear a respirator if they have facial hair which comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or any condition which interferes with the face to facepiece seal or valve function. Employees who wear respirators are permitted to leave the regulated area to wash their faces and respirator facepieces as necessary.

This may be done to prevent skin irritation associated with respirator use or to change the filter elements if a change in breathing resistance or chemical vapor breakthrough is detected. Every employee is required to perform a negative and positive seal check prior to respirator use. All respirators shall be maintained using the procedures in 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix B-2 or procedures recommended by the manufacturer, provided that such procedures are of equivalent effectiveness. The following methods shall be used to maintain the equipment: Cleaning/Disinfecting:Respiratory equipment shall be washed thoroughly in warm water with detergent, using a soft brush. Detergents with a bactericide are preferable. If detergent with a bactericide is not used, the detergent wash shall be followed with a disinfecting rinse. Components shall be hand-dried with a clean lint free cloth or air dried before assembly. Storage:Dry, clean, disinfected respirators shall be sealed in clean plastic bags out of direct sunlight with the facepiece and exhalation valve in a non-distorted position.

Repair:Repair and replacement of damaged parts must be done before the respirator can be used. Replacement parts must be those of the manufacturer of the equipment. Replacement parts are available from either Engineering or the EH&S Department. Repairs or replacement must be performed by a qualified individual. Inspection Procedures:All respirators shall be inspected by each user before and after each use and during cleaning. The following items will be examined during inspection: All employees in the program will be trained annually in the proper use and care of their respiratory equipment that have been assigned to them. Training will include the following elements: The training shall be conducted in a manner that is understandable to the employee. The employer shall provide the training prior to requiring the employee to use a respirator in the workplace. Surveillance of the workplace will be conducted by the EH&S Department on an ongoing basis to determine the necessity of respiratory protection.