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An individual or a team submitting an innovative respirator fit-testing concept could receive $350,000 in a challenge announced January 10 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The challenge attempts to address two problems with respirator fit testing: Small and disadvantaged businesses often lack the resources needed to comply with the Occupational […]
On November 28, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) asked for public comment on its program for certifying approved respiratory protection devices. NIOSH is authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977 to test and approve respirators used by construction workers, […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s requirements for respiratory protection. Respiratory protection is important in many different industries, and it has played an even greater role in the workforce since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Different respirators clearly function differently, offering users two types of respiratory protection. Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR), like N95s and P100s, filter out particles like the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and the particulate matter in wildfire smoke. Other respirators supply clean respirable air. For example, airline respirators use compressed air from a remote source, and […]
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released a tool for predicting N95 respirator needs in non-healthcare workplaces. In research published in the journal Health Security, NIOSH researchers unveiled a spreadsheet-based tool for estimating the number of N95 respirators needed to protect essential non-healthcare workers. The tool is available in the article’s […]
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently approved the first elastomeric respirator without an exhalation valve, developed by the Mine Safety Appliance (MSA) Corporation. Elastomeric respirators are half-facepiece or full-facepiece respirators made with a facepiece of synthetic or natural rubber material that can be repeatedly used, cleaned, disinfected, stored, and reused.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently acknowledged that the infographic “Facial Hairstyles and Filtering Facepiece Respirators,” which was used in a November 2, 2017, blog post, has been downloaded over 19,000 times. NIOSH said that 95% of the downloads were made in 2020.
Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) with exhalation valves, as well as a surgical mask or an unregulated face covering, can reduce a wearer’s aerosol emissions, according to a report released on December 9 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). With modifications, the respirators can offer the same level of source control as […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued respiratory protection guidance for assisted living, nursing home, and other long-term care facilities. The guidance focuses on the use of respirators while emphasizing a primary reliance upon engineering and administrative controls for controlling exposures, consistent with good industrial hygiene practice and the agency’s traditional adherence to the […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued temporary guidance on enforcement of initial and annual fit-testing requirements in the Respiratory Protection standard for Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs). Enforcement discretion is limited to healthcare personnel or other workers engaged in high- or very high-exposure-risk activities.