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Trade News Release
Aug. 23, 2006
Contact: Frank Meilinger
Phone: (202) 693-1999
OSHA Revises Respiratory Protection
Standards
WASHINGTON --
New Assigned Protection Factors
(APFs) for respiratory protection programs are being incorporated
into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA)
respiratory protection standard, the agency announced today.
This APF final rule completes the revision of
the reserve sections of OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard as
published in 1998. The Respiratory Protection Standard will now
contain provisions necessary for a comprehensive respiratory
protection program, including selection and use of respirators,
training, medical evaluation, and fit testing.
"This standard helps employers and employees
select the right respirator for the job," said Assistant Secretary
of Labor for OSHA, Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "And with the right
respirator employees will have adequate protection to be safe and
healthy at work."
APFs are numbers that indicate the level of
workplace respiratory protection that a respirator or class of
respirators is expected to provide to employees when used as part of
an effective respiratory protection program. An APF table is being
included in the final standard to guide employers in the selection
of air-purifying, powered air-purifying, supplied-air (or airline
respirator), and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
respirators.
Employers must follow these new requirements
and use APFs to select the appropriate type of respirator based upon
the exposure limit of a contaminant and the level of the contaminant
in the workplace. Employers select respirators by comparing the
exposure level found in the workplace and the maximum concentration
of the contaminant in which a particular type of respirator can be
used (the Maximum Use Concentration, or MUC). Employers generally
determine the MUC by multiplying the respirator's APF by the
contaminant's exposure limit. If the workplace level of the
contaminant is expected to exceed the respirator's MUC, the employer
must choose a respirator with a higher APF.
OSHA's final respiratory standard on APFs will
be published in the Aug. 24, 2006 Federal Register.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and
healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure
the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting
and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and
education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual
process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more
information, visit
www.osha.gov.
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