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     ASU Employee
     Non-Employee

Introduction

A respirator is a personal protective device used to protect the wearer from inhalation of harmful airborne concentrations of contaminants. The use of respirators is acceptable only when engineering controls (e.g., local exhaust ventilation) or work practices are inadequate or not feasible, or while these controls are being designed or constructed. Respirators must be carefully selected, properly fitted, regularly inspected and cleaned and repaired when damaged. Wearers must be medically evaluated for respirator use and trained in the appropriate use, care, maintenance and limitations of respiratory protective devices. Work area environments must be periodically evaluated to determine the appropriate level of respiratory protection necessary.

Applicable ASU Policies

Applicable ASU Guideline

Applicable Regulations

NOTE: More specific respiratory protection requirements may be contained within substance-specific or operation-specific regulations (e.g., asbestos or lead standards)

Written Program
The employer establishes and implements a written respiratory protection program with worksite specific procedures at locations where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer. The program must be updated to reflect changes in the workplace conditions that effect respirator use. The department of EH&S conducts evaluations of the workplace to verify the written respiratory protection program is properly implemented and verify that employees are properly using and caring for their respirators.

The program must include:

• procedures for selecting respirators
• fit test procedures
• proper use of respirators in emergency situations
• procedures for cleaning, disinfecting, storing, inspecting, repairing, discarding and maintaining respirators
• a procedure to provide air quality, quantity, and flow of breathing air for atmosphere supply respirators
• training on respiratory hazards to which an employee could be exposed
• training on proper use of respirators
• procedures for evaluating effectiveness of the program

Voluntary Use of Respirator s
Each department or college must provide respirators at the request of employees or permit them to use their own respirator. The respiratory protection program administrator may authorize voluntary use of respiratory protective equipment as requested by all other workers on a case-by-case basis, depending on specific workplace conditions and the results of the medical evaluations. If the respiratory protection program administrator determines that any voluntary respirator use is permissible, the employee must be provide the respirator the information contained in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134. Employers are not required to include those employees whose only use of respirators involves the voluntary use of filtering face-pieces (dusk mask) in the written respiratory protection program.

Respirator Selection
EH&S or the department selects and the department provides an appropriate respirator based on the respiratory hazard(s) to which the worker is exposed and workplace and employee factors that affect respirator performance and reliability. The employer selects a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirator. The respirator is used in compliance with the conditions of its certification.

Medical Evaluation
The department provides a medical evaluation to determine the employee's ability to use a respirator before the employee is fit tested or required to use the respirator in the workplace. The department must send employee to ASU Campus Health Service or other licensed health care professional to perform the medical evaluation using the medical evaluation found in Appendix C of CFR 1910.134.

Fit Testing
Before an employee may be required to use any respirator with a negative or positive pressure tight-fitting face-piece the employee must be fit tested with the same make, model, style, and size of the respirator the employee will use. The employee must pass an appropriate qualitative fit test (QLFT) or quantitative fit test (QNFT). Fit testing is repeated annually.

Maintenance & Care of Respirators
The department provides each respirator employee with a respirator that is clean and disinfected using the procedures in 29 CFR 1910.134 or by procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer. Respirators are cleaned or disinfected after each use. Respirators are stored to protect from contamination and damage And should be stored out of direct sunlight and in a dry cool location.

Breathing Air Quality and Use
Employers must provide employees using atmosphere-supplying respirators (supplied air and SCBA) with breathing air of high quality. Compressed air used for supplied air respirators must comply with the air quality requirements for Grade D Breathable Air described in CGA Commodity Specification G-7.1-1989.

Identification of Filters, Cartridges, and Canisters
The department confirms that all filters, cartridges and canisters are labeled and color coded with a legible NIOSH approval label.

Training

Training is provided annually by the department or EH&S to all employees of respiratory protective equipment to include selection of respirators; inspection, maintenance, storage and cleaning of respirators, respirator limitations and emergency procedures, methods of donning, adjusting and fit-checking, and respiratory hazards.

Updated 11/21/06

Mailing Address: PO Box 873804, Tempe, Arizona 85287-3804
Contact Email: EHS@asu.edu
Phone: (480) 965-1823
FAX:  (480) 965-0736