852 Asbestos Safety

Respiratory Protection and Protective Equipment

Respiratory Protection: The employer should implement a respiratory protection program. Under this program, the employer should do the following:

• Select and provide appropriate respirators. See the table below (1910.1001 & 1926.1101) )

Airborne Concentration or Condition of Use	Required Respirator
< or =  1 f/cm3 (fibers per cubic centimeter) (10 X PEL)	Half-mask air-purifying respirator other than a disposable respirator, equipped with high-efficiency filters *.
< or =  5 f/cm3 (50 X PEL)	Full-facepiece air-purifying respirator equipped with high-efficiency filters *.
< or =  10 f/cm3 (100 X PEL)	Any powered air-purifying respirator equipped with high-efficiency filters * or any supplied-air respirator operated in continuous-flow mode.
< or =  100 f/cm3 (1,000 X PEL)	Full-facepiece supplied air respirator operated in pressure-demand mode.
> 100 f/cm3 (1,000 X PEL), or unknown concentrations	Full-facepiece supplied-air respirator operated in pressure-demand mode, equipped with an auxiliary positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus.

* A high-efficiency filter means a filter that is at least 99.97% efficient against mono-dispersed particles of 0.3 µm (micrometers) in diameter or higher.

• Employers should not select or use filtering face piece respirators for protection against asbestos fibers.
• Provide High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters for powered and non-powered air-purifying respirators.
• Provide an employee with a tight-fitting, powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) instead of a negative pressure respirator when the employee chooses to use a PAPR and it provides adequate protection to the employee.
• Make sure employees are not assigned to tasks requiring the use of respirators if, based on their most recent medical examination, the examining physician determines that:
• the employee will be unable to function normally using a respirator, or
• the safety or health of the employee or other employees will be impaired by the use of a respirator.
• Assign employees to another job or given the opportunity to transfer to a different position not requiring the use of respirators if they cannot wear a respirator.

Protective Equipment: The employer should provide personal protective equipment including coveralls, gloves, head and foot covering, face shields, and vented goggles.

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