OSHA Voluntary Respiratory Requirements

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has strict requirements for employers in the control of occupational respiratory diseases caused by breathing air contaminated with harmful dusts, fumes, different gases, smoke, sprays and mists among others. The general duty clause of the OSHA Act requires employers to provide all employees a place of employment free from recognized respiratory hazards that could cause death or serious physical and mental impairment. OSHA revised its Respiratory Protection Standard of 1971 and the new revised standards went into effect on April 8th 1998.

Personal Protective Equipment

• OSHA requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees to reduce exposure to harmful gases, chemicals and other hazardous substances. This equipment is mandatory where engineering and administrative controls are not present or not effective in reducing high exposure levels to acceptable and tolerable levels. Employers must determine if PPE is needed in certain areas of the workplace to protect workers. If workers need to use PPE, employers must launch a suitable PPE program.

Respiratory Requirement Procedure

• Occupational diseases caused by breathing in contaminated air should be adequately controlled or prevented as stated in the OSHA Act of 1998. Employers can adequately control atmospheric contamination in the workplace by adopting certain engineering control measures such as enclosure or confinement of the operation and proper ventilation. Where these control methods are not feasible or while they are being put in place, the use of appropriate respirators is mandatory. The employer is responsible for the provision and maintenance of a proper respiratory protection program.

Respiratory Protection Program

• The OSHA Act requires an employer to develop a written respiratory protection program and implement such programs as specified. A professionally trained program administrator should administer the program. The program should specify procedures and elements required for respirator use, enabling workers to carry out safely their duties in certain areas of the workplace prone to different gases, which may be detrimental to human health. The employer should provide appropriate respirators adapted to different environments, training and medical tests at no cost to employees.

Medical Requirements for Respirator Use

• A respirator may place a physiological burden on an employee. This varies with the type of respirator used, workplace conditions in which the respirator is worn and the medical status of the employee. Employers are required to implement a medical evaluation program in which the employee's ability to use certain respirators is determined before use in the workplace. Employers should contract a licensed physician to perform this medical evaluation by physical examination or by the use of a questionnaire, as stipulated by OSHA.