The goal of the respirator is to seal off and isolate the wearer’s respiratory system.  This allows work  to be performed in a hazardous atmosphere

To correctly select the proper respirator, it is necessary to know what airborne hazards are present in the work environment.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approves respirators and respirators fall in 3 main categories.

1.      Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators (Usually discarded when done—sometimes called N95 respirators.)

The N95 respirator is the most commonly used respirator. N95 translates:  not resistant to oil and filters against 95% of the airborne particles. (See table below.)

2.   Elastomeric Respirators (Reusable)

3.   Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR)

*High Efficiency Particulate Air.

The two most common types of Particle filtering respirators are filtering and elastomeric.  Elastomeric respirators have a facepiece and replaceable cartridges.

If your respirator is NIOSH approved, it has a NIOSH approval number.  Usually this number is found on the packaging, not on the respirator itself.  Both an approval label and instructions come with all NIOSH-approved respirators.

OSHA has a great video showing how to put on, wear and take off respirators.  Click here for free training video.  http://tinyurl.com/yhdu9n4

If your employees need to wear respirators, your company needs a respirator policy that meets federal or state guidelines. 

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis:  “Let me be clear, the Labor Department
is back in the enforcement business.”  April 28, 2009 “Workers Memorial Day”

“The government has a fundamental responsibility to protect workers from unsafe workplaces and to protect workers from unjust labor practices.

·       We are focused on workers – not voluntary programs and alliances

·       We are serious about workplace protection

·       We are serious about workplace health

·       And we are serious about workplace safety.”

Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis June 29, 2009

The Administration has been candid about their workplace enforcement position—believe them. 

TRENDS

·       OSHA is taking money from its Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and using it for enforcement.

·       Proposed Severe Violators Inspection Program (SVIP)

·       Congressional hearings on the need for Stronger Criminal and Civil Penalties

·       Focus on recordkeeping national emphasis program and enforcement (focus is on employers with low rates in high hazard industries

·       More criminalization of corporate and individual behavior

WHAT CAN AN EMPLOYER DO?

1.     Have a formal, written and effective safety program specific for your company’s operations and hazards.

2.   Evaluate Risk and review safety program

3.   Prepare for continuing changes in enforcement efforts

4.   Management must ensure that safety and health activities are completed regularly and documented.  These include:

• New employee orientation and safety training for each new hire.

• Safety meetings to discuss hazards, accidents and prevention.

• Safety inspections to identify and correct hazards.

• Accident investigations to determine causes and preventive strategies.

• Pre-job safety planning for construction or temporary projects.

• Hazard identification and training

FRONT LINE SUPERVISOR

·       Supervisors have the greatest influence on their work crew.

·       Supervisors can protect workers by enforcing safe work practices and immediately correcting hazards found during regularly scheduled inspections.

·       A consistently implemented safety program improves job morale, protects the company, protects managers and supervisors while protection workers.

REMEMBER

·       Poor safe work habits can lead to legal difficulties

·       Safety Compliance can affect the ability of the Company to bid for and obtain work.

·       Supervisors can have individual liability.

·       The purpose of an effective safety program is not avoiding OSHA citations, but preventing exposure.