Approximately 5% of all U.S. workers in about 20% of all work establishments wear respirators at least some of the time while performing their job functions. These workers are employed at approximately 1.3 million establishments nationwide. A respirator is a personal protective device worn on the face, covers at least the nose and mouth, and is used to reduce the wearer’s risk of inhaling hazardous airborne particles (including dust particles and infectious agents), gases or vapors. Certain respirators also provide protection for oxygen-deficient atmospheres. To provide the proper protection, employees must have a good knowledge and understanding of respirators. This training program was created to help ensure you understand the requirements for using respirators, how to properly select, don and use a respirator, and how to care for and maintain a respirator.

When effective control measures are not feasible, or while they are being instituted, appropriate respirators must be used. OSHA considers respirators to be the least effective means of exposure control for the following reasons:

a. Respirators only protect if properly fitted and worn

b. Respirators only protect the employee wearing the respirator and not the workplace as a whole

c. Respirators are uncomfortable to wear, difficult to use, and make communication difficult

d. The cost, which includes medical examinations, fit testing, training, and purchasing is very expensive.

The OSHA standard applies to all occupational exposures to contaminated air where an employee is:

a. Exposed to a hazardous level of an airborne contaminate

b. Required by the employer to wear a respirator

c. Permitted to wear a respirator