As the safety administrator, running a successful respiratory protection program means navigating a maze of regulations and anticipating hazards. Consider us your resource. Whenever you are in the process, we can help guide you to the information and details you need.
To run a successful workplace respiratory protection program, you must understand and comply with the standards set by state and federal administrations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). If you’ve already started your research, you know it can be overwhelming. To help you make sense of it all, we’ve summarized key elements of the federal standard and what you need to do to comply with each one.
Highlights of the OSHA regulations on respiratory protection
When respiratory protection is required by OSHA, a written respiratory protection program should be established. That means the designated program administrator must oversee the following:
Assessment of exposure to airborne contaminants.
Selection of appropriate respirators.
Evaluation of employees’ health to make sure they can wear a respirator.
Fit-testing and training of employees regularly.
Inspection, repair, cleaning, storage and replacement of respirators as needed.
Review of the program periodically to make sure it’s being run properly.
Keeping a written record of all of the above.
Each part of the program can seem complex. Although as a safety administrator you must follow all applicable rules and regulations, we’ve outlined key highlights to help you navigate them.
SOURCE:
http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/safety-centers-of-expertise-us/respiratory-protection/