News Release
Thursday, September 24, 1998
Contact: Frank Kane (202) 219-8151
OSHA ISSUES DIRECTIVE THAT WILL HELP EMPLOYERS MEET NEW RESPIRATORY
PROTECTION STANDARD
If you are an employer covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's
(OSHA) new respiratory protection standard, the agency has new information to help you.
OSHA's new enforcement directive to agency field personnel will also be useful to
employers in meeting requirements of the standard, including the
"two-in/two-out" provisions for firefighters' safety. The standard was published
Jan. 8, 1998, and employers must be in compliance by Oct. 5, 1998.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Charles N. Jeffress
said, "This standard significantly improves worker protection. In addition to saving
lives and preventing injuries and illnesses, employers will save up to $94 million a year
on injury and illness-related costs."
The new standard applies to all respirator use in general industry, shipyards, marine
terminals, longshoring, and construction workplaces. It does not apply to agricultural
operations or to occupational exposure to tuberculosis.
The use of respirators to protect against tuberculosis will continue to be enforced
under the old standard, which will be redesignated 1910.139 on Oct. 5, 1998, and will
apply only to tuberculosis until OSHA issues a final standard for occupational exposure to
TB, which will contain TB respiratory protection provisions. Hearings have been held on
the proposed TB standard in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and
the testimony and comments are now being reviewed.
The new standard (1910.134) applies to respirators worn to protect employees from
exposure to air contaminants above a specified exposure limit or otherwise necessary to
protect employee health. It also covers situations where respirators are otherwise
required to be worn by the employer, and where respirators are voluntarily worn by
employees for comfort or other reasons.
The standard restates OSHA's longstanding policy that engineering and work practice
controls should be the primary means to reduce employee exposure to toxic chemicals and
that respirators should only be used if engineering or work practice controls are
infeasible or while they are being put in place.
Among other things, the compliance directive (CPL 2-0.120) discusses definitions of
terms used in the standard; requirements for a written respiratory protection program and
respiratory protection program administrator; voluntary use of respirators; selection of
respirators and hazard evaluation; the requirements for employers to develop chemical
cartridge change schedules for the respirators worn in their workplaces; medical
evaluation of an employee's fitness to wear a respirator; and fit testing for employees
using negative or positive pressure tight-fitting respirators.
Also discussed are the proper use of respirators; employees working in conditions
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH); and firefighters engaged in interior
structural firefighting, i.e., "two-in/two-out" requirements.
The "two-in/two-out" firefighting procedures apply to private sector workers
engaged in firefighting, including those working in industrial fire brigades and private
incorporated fire companies, and to federal firefighters. These or equivalent provisions
apply to state or local government firefighters only in the 25 states and territories that
cover public employees under OSHA-approved state plans. These states are required to adopt
an identical or "at least as effective" standard and extend its coverage to
public employees. Coverage of volunteer firefighters in these states varies by state and
depends on state law.
The directive also notes that at least two firefighters must be stationed outside
during interior structural firefighting and they must be trained, equipped and prepared to
enter if necessary to rescue firefighters inside. The incident commander has the
responsibility and flexibility to determine when more than two outside firefighters are
necessary.
The two firefighters (buddies) entering an IDLH atmosphere to perform interior
structural firefighting must maintain visual or voice communication at all times.
Electronic means of communication such as radios cannot be substituted for direct visual
contact between the team members in the danger area. However, they can be used to
communicate between the inside team members and outside standby personnel.
Life-saving activities in interior firefighting are not precluded by the standard.
There is an explicit exemption in the standard that if life is in jeopardy, firefighters
can perform the rescue without following the "two-in/two-out" requirement.
OSHA notes that the "two-in/two-out" provision is not intended as a staffing
requirement, but is a requirement for worker safety in fighting interior structural fires.
The directive also discusses maintenance and care of respirators; training and
information; evaluation of the effectiveness of the respirator program; recordkeeping; and
how the respirator standard is linked to other OSHA standards.
The directive is effective Friday, Sept. 25, 1998.
The directive can be accessed through the OSHA Home Page on the Internet World Wide Web
(http://www.osha.gov) under "Library/Reading Room" and then
"Directives." A supplementary document, "Questions and Answers on the
Respiratory Protection Standard," also can be accessed through the OSHA Home Page.
| USDOL
| CONTACT INFORMATION | DISCLAIMER |
