DISTRIBUTION:
B, E, G, HNEXT REVIEW DATE: May, 1997
POSITION RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEW: Director, Environmental Health & Safety
PURPOSE: To establish a policy and procedures for the respiratory protection of Facilities Management employees
BACKGROUND: The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that every employer whose employees use respirators have a written policy and procedures governing types of respirators to be used and their proper application, inspection, and maintenance.
POLICY: FMS policy is to have a respiratory protection program in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and to assure a safe working environment for all employees.
PROCEDURES:
1. EH&S provides training to FMS staff members who may be required to use respirators in their work or in emergencies. The training program includes:
1.1. The nature of the respiratory hazards in the work place and how to select correct respirators.
1.2. Use of respirators and proper fitting.
1.3. Capabilities and limitations of respirators.
1.4. Cleaning, disinfecting, inspecting, maintaining, repairing, and storing respirators.
2. Staff members who use respiratory protection receive initially, and thereafter annually, medical evaluations of their ability to work while wearing respirators. Only staff members who are medically qualified to wear respirators may use respiratory protection while working. The medical examination follows ATTACHMENT 1.
3. EH&S selects respirator types according to respiratory hazard, air contaminant, work requirements, and NIOSH certifications. ATTACHMENT 2 is used to guide this process.
4. EH&S conducts fit testing--to determine the user's ability to get a satisfactory facial seal--during the initial selection of respirators. EH&S ensures compliance with general and specific OSHA requirements during fit testing. EH&S conducts fit testing annually, according to instructions in ATTACHMENT 4. The user performs fit check steps (1) and (2) each time before starting work wearing a respirator.
5. FMS staff members maintain respirators to retain their original effectiveness. The user inspects a respirator before and after each use, and cleans and disinfects a respirator after each use. The respirator must be clean and dry before being placed in storage.
6. Tight-fitting respirators, requiring a good face-to-facepiece seal, are available for use only by FMS staff members who are clean-shaven.
7. Plumbers follow the procedures in Attachment 4 when working on plumbing drains from laboratories.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. EH&S is responsible for
1.1. Selecting all respiratory equipment used by FMS.
1.2. Training in respirator fitting, capabilities, and limitations.
1.3. Evaluation of the respiratory protection program to determine its effectiveness, and for an annual written report to the Safety Committee.
1.4. Evaluating work where airborne contamination levels could or do exceed OSHA PELs.
2. Operations & Utilities is responsible for ensuring that staff members wear respiratory protection equipment correctly whenever they work in a contaminated atmosphere where exposure to airborne contaminants above OSHA PELs may result.
3. Staff members are responsible for cleaning, inspecting (see ATTACHMENT 5), and disinfecting the respirators they use. Staff members with tight-fitting respirators [negative pressure, half-face or full-face, as well as positive pressure respirators (e.g., SCBAs and powered air purifying full-face respirators)] are responsible for being clean shaven while using their respirators.
REFERENCES:
1. 29 CFR 1910.134
2. 29 CFR 1910.1000 through 1910.1048 (Subpart Z)
CANCELLATIONS: None
SIGNATURE:
Edward A. Guida, PE, CIH
Director, Environmental Health & Safety
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Environmental Medical Monitoring form
2. Respirator Selection
3. Personal Protection When Working on Lab Sanitary Drains
4. Qualitative Respirator Fit Testing with Irritant Smoke
5. Respirator Inspection Record