The document discusses respiratory protection and OSHA standards. It defines airborne contaminants like dust, smoke, and gases that can be hazardous if breathed. Employers must assess air quality and provide respirators if hazards can't be controlled. OSHA standards specify which respirators to use in different situations and require training, fit testing, and medical procedures. Violations often occur due to lack of proper respiratory protection programs, fit testing, or training. Violations can result in illnesses, injuries, lost productivity, legal fees, and reputational damage.

1. Respiratory Protection

2. DEFINATION
• Not all air is safe to breathe. The oxygen in a
certain environment may contain hazardous fumes,
dust, or other contaminants.

3. Common airborne contaminants
• Particulate matter (e.g. silica dust)
• Smoke
• Gases
• Mists
• Vapors
• Aerosols

4. Short- and Long-term health problems
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Emphysema
• Impaired thinking
• Decreased lung capacity
• Loss of consciousness
• Cancer

5. The standard requires employers to assess and minimize airborne
hazards if possible. But if controlling the environment isn’t
possible or doesn’t provide adequate protection, employers must
provide their workers with respiratory devices (usually called
“respirators”). The standard lays out which respirators to use—
and how to use those respirators—in various situations, along with
maintenance, inspection, and medical follow-up procedures.

6. Which Kind of Respirator Is Required?
• Air-purifying respirators are best used on a short-term basis, while
atmosphere-supplying respirators can be worn for extended periods of time.
In either case, the respirator must fit properly and “must not impair the
worker’s ability to see, hear, communicate, and move as necessary to perform
the job safely.”

7. Why Respiratory Protection Violations
Happen
• Many violations of OSHA’s respiratory protection standard happen when organizations
fail to establish respiratory protection programs. If there are no written procedures in
place, the organization is in trouble.
• Some organizations fail to perform required fit testing. They don’t go through the trouble
of making sure respirators fit snugly on workers’ faces, without interfering with vision,
hearing, or communication.
• Many other violations occur due to inadequate training. Organizations can’t afford to take
respiratory protection for granted or assume that workers know the proper procedures for
respirator use

8. What Will Happen When Respiratory
Protection Violations Happen
• Lost productivity due to illnesses and injuries caused by airborne
contaminants
• Legal and compliance fees
• Decreased morale
• Negative publicity and reputational damage