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THE ORCBS > Occupational Safety > Programs & Guidelines > Respiratory Protection > Respiratory Protection Program >
 RESPIRATOR
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - RESPIRATOR SELECTION
Respirators
are selected by a qualified safety and health professional. Many
factors are considered in order to select the proper respirator.
Respirator selection is based on:
1. Characteristics
of Hazardous Operation or Process
a) Hot operations:
welding, chemical reactions, soldering, melting, molding and
burning
b) Liquid
operations: painting, degreasing, dipping, spraying, brushing,
coating, etching, cleaning, pickling, plating, mixing, galvanizing
and chemical reactions
c) Solid
operations: pouring, mixing, separations, extraction, crushing,
conveying, loading, bagging and demolition
d) Pressurized
spraying: cleaning parts, applying pesticides, degreasing, sand
blasting and painting
e) Shaping
operations: cutting, grinding, filing, milling, molding, sawing
and drilling
2. Nature of
hazard (See table 3 and table
4 for more information).
Air contaminants
include particulate solids or liquids, gaseous material in the
form of a true gas or vapor, or a combination of gas and particulate
matter.
a) Gaseous
contaminants
i. Inert
gases (helium, argon, etc.), which do not metabolize in the
body but displace air to produce an oxygen deficiency.
ii. Acid
gases (sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride,
etc.) which are acids or produce acids by reaction with water.
iii. Alkaline
gases (ammonia, etc.), which are alkalies or produce alkalies
by reaction with water.
iv. Organic
gases (butane), which exist as true gases or
v. Vapors
from organic liquids (acetone).
vi. Organometallic
gases (tetraethyl lead, organo-phosphates, etc.), which have
metals attached to organic groups.
b) Particulate
contaminants
i. Dusts.
Mechanically generated solid particulates (0.5 to 10 mm)
ii. Fumes.
Solid condensation particles of small diameter (0.1 to 1.0
mm)
iii. Mists.
Liquid particulate matter (5 to 100 mm)
iv. Smoke.
Chemically generated particulates (solid and liquid) of organic
origins (0.01 to 0.3 mm)
3. Concentration
of contaminant
a) Permissible
Exposure Limit (PEL): These are the upper exposure limits of
airborne concentrations that are accepted as safe, as established
by OSHA. The Time Weighted Average (TWA) is the maximum concentration
that employees working eight hours per day, forty hours per
week can be exposed to with no adverse health effects.
b) Threshold
Limit Value (TLV): These are the upper exposure limits of airborne
concentrations that are accepted as safe for employees to be
exposed to on a day-in, day-out basis, as established by the
American Council of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.
c) Short
Term Exposure Limit (STEL): An exposure limit that is the maximum
concentration to which workers can be exposed for a period of
up to 15 minutes with no detrimental effects.
d) Ceilings
are concentrations that should not be exceeded for any part
of the workday.
e) Immediately
Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH): Conditions that pose an
immediate threat to life or health or conditions that pose an
immediate threat of severe exposure to contaminants, such as
radioactive materials.
4. Respirator
design
a) NIOSH
Approved: All respirators used on campus must be approved by
the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
NIOSH approved respirators are labeled with a NIOSH ID number.
Filters are labeled with the type of hazard the respirator is
approved to protect against. Respirator replacement parts are
labeled with part numbers and only approved replacement parts
should be used. Any modifications that do not use approved replacement
parts voids the approval of the respirator.
b) Enclosure
Design
i. Tight-fitting
units: full facepiece and half-mask
ii. Loose-fitting
units: hood, helmet, and enclosed suit
5. Location
of Hazardous Area
a) Confined
Space: See special problems.
b) Proximity
to non-contaminated "clean" environment
6. Worker Activity
a) Duration
of job
b) Physical
exertion: light, medium, heavy
c) Temperature
of job area
Cartridge
and Filter Selection and Usage
Respiratory Protection Program
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