1910.134(c): Written respiratory protection program

(c) Respiratory protection program. This paragraph requires the employer to develop and implement a written respiratory protection program with required worksite-specific procedures and elements for required respirator use. The program must be administered by a suitably trained program administrator. In addition, certain program elements may be required for voluntary use to prevent potential hazards associated with the use of the respirator. The Small Entity Compliance Guide contains criteria for the selection of a program administrator and a sample program that meets the requirements of this paragraph. Copies of the Small Entity Compliance Guide will be available on or about April 8, 1998 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Office of Publications, Room N 3101, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20210 (202-219-4667). 4,071 citations

(1) In any workplace where respirators are necessary to protect the health of the employee or whenever respirators are required by the employer, the employer shall establish and implement a written respiratory protection program with worksite-specific procedures. The program shall be updated as necessary to reflect those changes in workplace conditions that affect respirator use. The employer shall include in the program the following provisions of this section, as applicable: Open (c)(1) 2,038 citations

(i) Procedures for selecting respirators for use in the workplace; Open (c)(1)(i) 17 citations

(ii) Medical evaluations of employees required to use respirators; Open (c)(1)(ii) 56 citations

(iii) Fit testing procedures for tight-fitting respirators; Open (c)(1)(iii) 31 citations

(iv) Procedures for proper use of respirators in routine and reasonably foreseeable emergency situations; Open (c)(1)(iv) 12 citations

(v) Procedures and schedules for cleaning, disinfecting, storing, inspecting, repairing, discarding, and otherwise maintaining respirators; Open (c)(1)(v) 17 citations

(vi) Procedures to ensure adequate air quality, quantity, and flow of breathing air for atmosphere-supplying respirators; 8 citations

(vii) Training of employees in the respiratory hazards to which they are potentially exposed during routine and emergency situations; 9 citations

(viii) Training of employees in the proper use of respirators, including putting on and removing them, any limitations on their use, and their maintenance; and Open (c)(1)(viii) 20 citations

(ix) Procedures for regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Open (c)(1)(ix) 18 citations

(2) Where respirator use is not required: Open (c)(2) 1,789 citations

(i) An employer may provide respirators at the request of employees or permit employees to use their own respirators, if the employer determines that such respirator use will not in itself create a hazard. If the employer determines that any voluntary respirator use is permissible, the employer shall provide the respirator users with the information contained in appendix D to this section (“Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard”); and Open (c)(2)(i) 838 citations

(ii) In addition, the employer must establish and implement those elements of a written respiratory protection program necessary to ensure that any employee using a respirator voluntarily is medically able to use that respirator, and that the respirator is cleaned, stored, and maintained so that its use does not present a health hazard to the user. Exception: Employers are not required to include in a written respiratory protection program those employees whose only use of respirators involves the voluntary use of filtering facepieces (dust masks). Open (c)(2)(ii) 781 citations

(3) The employer shall designate a program administrator who is qualified by appropriate training or experience that is commensurate with the complexity of the program to administer or oversee the respiratory protection program and conduct the required evaluations of program effectiveness. Open (c)(3) 83 citations

(4) The employer shall provide respirators, training, and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. Open (c)(4) 8 citations