Respiratory Protection Program

Respiratory Protection

Where elimination, substitution, engineering controls, and administrative controls do not remove or reduce hazards on the job, personal protective equipment (PPE) may be used as a last line of defense.

Respirators may be used in the workplace as a type of PPE to protect employees from various hazards, including harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays as well as infectious agents.

If not controlled, these hazards could cause cancer, lung impairment, diseases, or death. Particulate respirators may be worn to filter out airborne particles and prevent contaminated air from being breathed in by the user.

EHS administers the Respiratory Protection Program, which covers all employees who may be exposed to these airborne hazards. This program is in accordance with the Oregon OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard 1910.134.

Quick Access Links:

Types of Respirators and Masks
Respirator Use for Wildfire Smoke
Required Use Versus Voluntary Use of Respirators
Healthcare Worker Information
Resources

Types of Respirators and Masks

Elastomeric Half Facepiece Respirators	Filtering Facepiece Respirators	Dust Masks	Surgical Masks

Elastomeric half facepiece respirators are reuseable and have replaceable cartridges or filters. These respirators provide protection against gases, vapors, or particles. Different cartridges or filters provide different levels of protection. A medical evaluation, fit-testing, and special training are all required prior to use.	Filtering facepiece respirators reduce inhalation of both large droplets and small airborne particles (aerosols). An example of a filtering facepiece respirator is an N95. When used, these types of respirators must be NIOSH-certified. Special training is required prior to use, and in some cases, fit-testing and medical surveillance are also required.	Dust masks, or “nuisance” masks as they are also sometimes referred to, can be worn for comfort against non-toxic nuisance dust. These masks do not offer protection against hazardous dusts, or other hazardous airborne particles. This style of mask may be worn during activities such as mowing, gardening, sweeping of non-hazardous material, and dusting.	Surgical masks do not protect against small airborne particles (aerosols) but may prevent or reduce large droplets from splashes or sprays from contacting the area around the users nose and mouth. This style of mask is often worn for protection from bloodborne pathogen hazards when cleaning up potentially infectious material, in which case fit testing is not required.

Elastomeric Half Facepiece Respirators

Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Dust Masks

Surgical Masks

Elastomeric half facepiece respirators are reuseable and have replaceable cartridges or filters. These respirators provide protection against gases, vapors, or particles. Different cartridges or filters provide different levels of protection.

A medical evaluation, fit-testing, and special training are all required prior to use.

Filtering facepiece respirators reduce inhalation of both large droplets and small airborne particles (aerosols). An example of a filtering facepiece respirator is an N95.

When used, these types of respirators must be NIOSH-certified. Special training is required prior to use, and in some cases, fit-testing and medical surveillance are also required.

Dust masks, or “nuisance” masks as they are also sometimes referred to, can be worn for comfort against non-toxic nuisance dust. These masks do not offer protection against hazardous dusts, or other hazardous airborne particles.

This style of mask may be worn during activities such as mowing, gardening, sweeping of non-hazardous material, and dusting.

Surgical masks do not protect against small airborne particles (aerosols) but may prevent or reduce large droplets from splashes or sprays from contacting the area around the users nose and mouth.

This style of mask is often worn for protection from bloodborne pathogen hazards when cleaning up potentially infectious material, in which case fit testing is not required.

Use of Filtering Facepiece Respirators for Wildfire Smoke

Employees may voluntarily use a filtering facepiece respirator (N95) for protection from wildfire smoke when the PM2.5 AQI reaches a level of at least 101. Employees are required to use a filtering facepiece respirator (N95) when exposed to PM2.5 AQI level of 251 or greater.

Employees using respirator for this purpose are not required to be included in the PSU Respiratory Protection Program. However, if employees are exposed to PM2.5 AQI of 501 or greater, inclusion in the full respirator program is required.

For more information on respirator use for protection from wildfire smoke, please visit the EHS Protection from Wildfire Smoke Program webpage.

Required Use of Respirators

EHS conducts hazard evaluations for specific work processes or areas where airborne contaminants may be present during routine operations.

If airborne contaminants are not below permissible exposure limits for that specific hazard, EHS will determine which respirator employees should wear.

Employees who are required to perform routine work in areas determined to have hazardous levels of airborne contaminants, or who perform specific work processes that create such hazards, must follow the procedures of the Respiratory Protection Program. This includes but is not limited to the following:

Obtaining a medical evaluation
Having a fit test with the type and size of respirator to be worn
Receiving training on the usage, maintenance, limitations, troubleshooting, inspecting, and storing of the respirator

Voluntary Use of Respirators

Employees may choose to wear filtering facepiece respirators, such as N95s, for jobs/activities where they wish to avoid exposure to hazards, even if the hazardous substance has not shown to exceed the limits set by OSHA standards.

Employees who choose to wear these types of respirators are required to notify EHS prior to performing work with them.

The immediate supervisor and EHS must determine that respirator use will not create an additional hazard. The employee should receive a brief training from EHS staff.

Healthcare Workers

Healthcare workers may be exposed to aerosol transmissible diseases (ATD) or the pathogens that cause them. These types of aerosols include particles or droplets that are suspended in the air that may transmit disease when inhaled or there is contact with mucous membranes.

This type of hazard requires airborne and/or droplet precautions, including the use of a mask or respirator. A hazard evaluation should be completed to identify who is likely to be exposed to ATD pathogens.

It is not feasible to quantify the level of exposure to infectious agents and it is generally not known what level of exposure will cause infection in a specific individual. Respirators should therefore be chosen based on anticipated exposure by task and according to recognized and generally accepted good infection control practices and public health guidance.

Public Health Guidance

The following organizations may be consulted for guidance in assessing the hazards associated with infectious diseases.

Resources

Oregon OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard
Oregon OSHA Voluntary Respirator Use Fact Sheet
Oregon OSHA Respiratory Protection Fact Sheet
Respiratory Protection Standard Appendix D for Voluntary Use