Environmental Health and Safety

Employee Health & Safety Manual

Respiratory Protection

Contents:
Purpose
Scope and Application
Responsibilities
General
Program Elements
(Respirator selection, issuance, maintenance, training, medical, Misc.)

Respiratory Protection Program

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure the protection of employees from respiratory hazards through proper selection, maintenance and use of respirators, and training to comply with OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard. Respirators are to be used only where engineering controls and material substitution are not feasible.

II. Scope and Application

This procedure applies to all MATC employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary and student help.

III. Responsibilities

MATC Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Manager

• Defines procedures for the selection and safe use of respirators.
• Provides and documents respiratory protection training (including fit tests) for MATC employees covered under this procedure and maintains records of the training presented.
• Authorizes and arranges medical surveillance for employees covered under this procedure and maintains the Physician's Written Opinion.
• Selects or assists in the selection of respirators to be used within the MATC workplace.
• Reviews and evaluates the Respiratory Protection Program at least annually to identify program effectiveness and to update as necessary.
• Conducts random inspections to assure that respirators are properly selected, used, cleaned and maintained.

Supervisors/Managers

• Requests assistance from the EH&S Manager to evaluate operations that use or generate hazardous substances and determine the need for respiratory protection.
• Refers all employees (including part-time, temporary, and student help) who request the use of a respirator or who are required to use a respirator to the EH&S Manager for training and medical approval.
• Assures employees are not assigned to tasks requiring respiratory protection until they have been properly trained, fit tested, and medically approved to wear respirators.
• Monitors workplace to ensure appropriate respirators are used and properly worn and that respirators are properly stored, cleaned, and maintained.
• Reports any problem observed with respiratory use to the EH&S Manager for assistance in corrective action.

Human Resource Department

• Maintains all medical documents related to "Medical Determination for Respirator Use" with confidentiality.

Employees

• Requests the use of respirator protection, if desired, from supervisor and/or EH&S Manager even if such protection is not deemed necessary according current safety and health standards.
• Uses respiratory protection in accordance with provided training and this procedure, including but not limited to:

• Fit-testing respirator prior to each use.
• Inspecting respirator before and after use to assure good repair.
• Cleaning respirator after use, as needed, and storing it appropriately.

• Immediately stops work and goes to an area of "clean" air if respirator malfunctions.
• Reports all malfunctions, damage or difficulty in respirator use to supervisor or Safety Manager.
• Obtains a medical examination to confirm that he/she is medically fit to wear a respirator.

IV. General

• Atmospheric contamination such as harmful dust, fumes, mist, smoke, spray, gas or vapor shall be prevented as much as feasible by the use of acceptable engineering controls and material substitution. Only when engineering controls (or substitutions) are not feasible or are completely ineffective will appropriate respirators be employed and only by those individuals who are medically approved and properly trained in the use of respirators.
• Only approved respirators certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shall be used.
• MATC staff shall not be assigned to tasks requiring the use of respirators until they have been appropriately: (1) trained, (2) fit-tested, and (3) medically approved to use respiratory protection.
• Respirators shall not be worn when conditions prevent a good face seal. Such conditions may include, but are not limited to: a growth of beard, moustache or sideburns, or temple pieces on glasses.
• Wearing of contact lenses in contaminated atmospheres with a respirator is prohibited (unless appropriate provisions and approvals have been obtained through the EH&S Manager).

V. Program Elements

• Process Evaluation

At the request of the Supervisor/Manager or other MATC Staff, the EH&S Manager shall evaluate the workplace and/or tasks to determine the hazards employees are exposed to and the need for respiratory protection. The hazard evaluation will include the following factors:

• General workplace conditions including equipment and material used.
• Identification of hazardous substances that may become airborne and the anticipated concentration of these substances in the employee's breathing zone.
• Physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of the hazardous substance.
• Regulatory permissible exposure limits and other relevant health and safety data (e.g., odor threshold; Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) concentration; lung, skin or eye irritation potential, etc.
• Oxygen concentration in the atmosphere and the potential for oxygen-deficient or oxygen-rich atmospheres.
• Minimum protection factor required (e.g., divide the estimated concentration by the applicable exposure limit to determine protection factor required).
• Protection factor/efficiency afforded by a cartridge or canister, and the reactivity potential of contaminant(s) with the sorbet material in the cartridge or canister.
• Feasibility of engineering controls to reduce exposure to below applicable exposure limits.
• Respirator Selection
• If respiratory protection is required based on the process evaluation, the following factors shall be used by the EH&S Manager to specify the appropriate respirator needed:
• Oxygen-deficient atmospheres containing <19 percent oxygen (by volume) require:
• Pressure demand, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBS), or
• Supplied air respirator with escape provisions

Note: An oxygen-rich atmosphere poses a risk of fire/explosion. Therefore, no provisions are made to work in such an environment. Engineering controls would be required to eliminate the hazard.

• Toxic contaminant at IDLH requires:
• Pressure demand (SCBA), or
• Supplied air
• Contaminants not at IDLH requires:

for gas or vapor

• Supplied air respirator
• Chemical cartridge respirator

for particulate

• Supplied air respirator
• Filter respirator (i.e., dust, fume, or mist)

Note: Multiple cartridge may be required depending on contaminants.

• Based on the above factors, the EH&S Manager will specify the type of respirator and cartridge (if purifying respirator) to be used and will ensure that the worded labels and the color of the cartridges are in accordance with applicable standards.
• Only approved respirators certified by NIOSH shall be used.
• Respirator Issuance
• Supervisors/managers are to refer any employee being assigned a task which requires respiratory protection (based on the process evaluation) to the EH&S Manager.
• The EH&S Manager will:
• Arrange for a medical examination to determine if the employee is physically fit to use a respirator (refer to Section 5 "Medical" of this procedure).
• Based on Section 1 (Process Evaluation) and Section 2 (Respirator Selection), select the proper NIOSH certified respirator for the intended task.
• Fit test the employee to determine the best fitting style and size of respirator.
• Provide training to the employee on the MATC Respiratory Protection Program, respirator selection, and limitations, and how to fit-test a respirator.
• Where practical, the respirators will be assigned to individual workers for their exclusive use.
• Maintenance
• Employees are to inspect their respirators before and after each use, and during cleaning. Specific requirements for equipment inspections are listed in the manufacturer's literature. General guidelines are as follows:
• Check the general condition of the facepiece (excessive dirt, cracks, tears, holes or distortions from improper storage; cracked, scratched or loose lens; cracked or broken air-purifying cartridge holders, badly worn threads, or missing gaskets).
• Check headband and straps for breaks or loss of elasticity.
• Check integrity of filters (holes, dirt, or deterioration).
• Check the point where the cartridge screws into the mask (threads, gaskets, and valves) for residue, dirt, cracks, tears, or distorted material.
• Check for tightness of all connections.
• Prior to using a respirator, the employee will verify that the worded labels on the cartridges/canister and the color code of the cartridges/canister are appropriate for the hazard(s) exposed to. Labels and colors are to be properly maintained at all times
• Prior to each use, employees are to perform the negative and positive-fit test procedure to ensure proper fit.
• Respirators maintained for emergency use (multiple personnel use) shall be inspected after every use and at least monthly by the EH&S Manager or designated with documentation of inspection dates and findings. NOTE: currently, no emergency respirators for general use exist.

• Worn/deteriorated parts or defects of respirators are to be brought to the attention of theEH&S Manager designee for replacement.

Note: The law requires that replacement/repairs be performed by experienced personnel (e.g., manufacture representatives) using parts designed for the respirator. Respirator parts from different manufacturers are not interchangeable.

• Employees are to routinely clean and disinfect their respirators as needed (i.e., after every use) to ensure proper protection. Respirators maintained for emergency use shall be cleaned and disinfected after very use by the EH&S Manager or designee. Specific requirements for equipment cleaning and disinfecting may be listed in the manufacturer's literature. General guidelines are as follows:

• Disassemble respirator parts and dispose of filters and/or cartridges if they are expire
• Wash the facepiece and breathing tubes in mild detergent and warm water.
• Rinse thoroughly in clean, warm water.
• For disinfectant, immerse facepiece and breathing tube in water and bleach solution (two tablespoons of chlorine bleach to one gallon of water) or an equivalent disinfectant for two minutes.
• Rinse completely in clean, warm water.
• Air dry in a clean area.
• g. Reinspect each piece prior to reassembling the respirator.

  Note: If more than one employee uses a specific respirator, that respirator shall be cleaned and disinfected after each use with documentation of the date and person performing the cleaning.

• Employees are to store respirators in a clean, dry, sanitary place (i.e., in a plastic bag and then in a carton or carrying case). Respirators should be packed or stored in such a fashion so the facepiece and valves are resting in a normal position.

• Medical

• A medical evaluation is required to determine an employee's physical ability to use a respirator. The content of this evaluation shall be determined by the attending physician.
• MATC requires that the individual's medical status be reviewed periodically. Note: Periodically refers to an annual review for routine respirator use and less frequently for non-routine use (less than 30 days a year). However, note that the specific review period is defined by the reviewing health care practitioner.
• Medical evaluation shall be arranged and authorized by the EH&S Manager.

• Training

• Respiratory protection training shall be provided to employees who require the use of respiratory protection.
• Initial training shall be provided by the EH&S Manager prior to required use and annually thereafter as long as respiratory protection is required.
• The training is designed to provide an opportunity to handle respirators, conduct fit testing, test facepiece-to-face seal, wear a respirator in a normal air for familiarity, and wear the respirator in test atmosphere.

• Miscellaneous

• Where supplied air is required:

• The breathing air shall meet at least the requirements of the specification for Grade D breathing air as described in Compressed Gas Association Commodity Specification G-7.1-1966.
• Any compressor shall be constructed and situated to avoid entry of contaminated air into the system, and suitable in-line air purifying sorbet beds and filters installed to further assure breathing air quality.
• Air line couplings shall be incompatible with outlets for other gas systems.