The following persons must be given adequate training by qualified personnel to ensure the proper use of respirators:
€ the respirator user;
€ the supervisor of persons using respirators;
€ the person issuing respirators;
€ the person performing fit tests; and,
€ the person maintaining and repairing respirators.
Records must be kept of the type of training each person has received and the dates when these training sessions occurred. The records must be kept by the program administrator for at least the duration of employment of the person trained.
It is recommended that a refresher course be given to all persons mentioned above on a yearly basis or when changes in the workplace dictate.
Instruction qualification
The instructor should be skilled in the art of teaching and communicating and possess the knowledge and skills identified in 7.7.1.
7.7.1 Training of Respirator Users
A minimum training program for every person required to wear respirators must consist of:
(a) An explanation of the nature, extent and effects of airborne dusts to which the person may be exposed;
(b) An explanation of the operation, limitations and capabilities of the selected respirator(s);
(c) Instruction of the procedures for inspection, donning and removal, checking fit and seals, and the wearing of the respirator. Sufficient practical experience must be provided to enable the person to be thoroughly familiar and confident with the use of the respirator;
(d) Instruction on the maintenance and storage procedures required.
7.7.2 Training of the Supervisor
In addition to all of the items listed in 7.7.1, supervisory training should include:
(a) selection, fitting, issuance and inspection of respirators; and
(b) monitoring of respirator use.
7.7.3 Training of Persons Issuing Respirators
A person assigned to the task of issuing respirators must be given adequate training and written standard operating instructions to ensure that the correct respirator is issued for each situation.
7.7.4 Training of Persons Maintaining and Repairing Respirators
A person assigned to the task of maintaining and repairing respirators must be given adequate training and written instructions in accordance with the requirements of item 7.9.
7.7.5 Training Records
A training record system that meets the requirements of the regulatory authority must be maintained.
1. Persons using positive-pressure or negative-pressure respirators must be clean-shaven where the facepiece seals to the skin;
2. Respirators requiring a tight fit in order to perform effectively must not be worn when an effective seal cannot be achieved and maintained;
3. Corrective eye wear necessary to the employee wearing a respirator must not interfere with the seal of the facepiece to the face;
4. The use of contact lenses may be permitted by the program administrator after having considered those factors inside and outside the respirator facepiece which could affect the eyes of the user;
5. No covering may be used that passes between the sealing surface of a respirator facepiece and the wearer's face;
6. Other personal protective devices or equipment must not interfere with the seal of the facepiece;
7. Persons who cannot achieve and maintain an effective closure of the respirator nose or mouthpiece must not be permitted to wear a mouthpiece and nose-clamp type of respirator;
8. Each user of a respirator must ensure that the respirator is in proper operating condition prior to each use;
9. The user of a respirator must check the seal of the facepiece immediately after donning the respirator by internal company respiratory protection procedures or by procedures recommended by the respirator manufacturer.
7.9 - CLEANING, MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE OF RESPIRATORS
7.9.1 Cleaning and Sanitizing
(Note: the following do not apply to maintenance free respirators)
(a) Cleaning and sanitizing procedures should be included in the respirator wearers' basic training;
(b) Cleaning and sanitizing must be performed on respirators on a regular basis;
(c) Wearers must inspect their respirators before and after each use. Respirators must be cleaned and sanitized to protect the wearer from contamination;
(d) In facilities where persons are responsible for the maintenance of individually assigned respirators, each person must be thoroughly trained in cleaning and sanitizing procedures. Appropriate cleaning and sanitizing materials must be made available;
(e) In large facilities where respirators are used routinely, a centralized respirator cleaning area run by specially trained personnel can be provided.
7.9.2 Inspection
a) After being cleaned and sanitized, as specified in item 9.1, each respirator must be inspected and tested to determine whether it is in proper working condition. Faulty units should be repaired or removed from service;
b) Respirator inspection should include a check for:
€ tightness of connections;
€ condition of component parts (e.g. facepiece, helmet, hood, head harness, valves, connecting tubes, harness assemblies and filters);
€ service life indicator;
€ shelf-life dates;
€ missing parts;
€ pliability and deterioration of rubber or other elastomeril parts;
€ proper functionning of regulators, alarms and other warning systems.
7.9.3 Storage
a) Respirators must be stored in a manner that will protect them against dust, ozone, sunlight, heat, extreme cold, excessive moisture, vermin, damaging chemicals, oils, greases, or any other potential hazard that may have a detrimental effect on the respirator;
b) Respirators must be stored in a manner that will prevent deformation of rubber or other elastomeric parts;
c) When respirators are stored in lockers or tool boxes, they must be protected from contamination, deformation and damage.
7.10 - HEALTH SURVEILLANCE OF RESPIRATOR WEARERS
1. The program administrator or designate must determine whether or not a worker may be assigned to use a respirator;
2. Where the program administrator considers that, due to a person's fitness or ability, a medical opinion is required before wearing a respirator, that person must obtain this medical opinion from a physician who is knowledgeable about the work and the conditions of work of that person. The physician must inform the program administrator as to the fitness or ability of that person to wear a respirator. Details of any medical examination must not be disclosed unless consent has been obtained from the person so examined.
3. When possible, the following special tests can also be included in the baseline health examination:
€ electrocardiography;
€ pulmonary-function tests;
€ complete blood count; and,
€ biochemical profile of blood.
1. The program administrator must periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the respiratory protection program to ensure that workers are being adequately protected;
2. The standard operating procedures should be reviewed annually by the program administrator or when work conditions change. Improvements should be made when necessary.
7.12 WEARER ACCEPTANCE
Wearer acceptance of respirators is an important factor to be considered in evaluating the effectiveness of the RPP. The respiratory wearers should be consulted periodically on the following issues:
€ comfort,
€ resistance to breathing,
€ fatigue,
€ interference with vision,
€ interference with communication;
€ restriction of movement,
€ interference with job performance; and,
€ confidence in the respirator's effectiveness.
7.13 - REVIEW OF THE RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM (RPP)
The RPP should be reviewed frequently to ensure that the:
€ proper types of respirators are selected (based on dust concentrations);
€ wearers are properly trained;
€ correct respirators are issued and used;
€ respirators are properly maintained;
€ respirators are inspected;
€ respirators are properly stored; and,
€ respirators are properly worn.
7.14 - REMEMBER AT ALL TIMES:
THE USE OF A RESPIRATOR SHALL ONLY BE CONSIDERED AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE AND SHALL NEVER BE ADOPTED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR ENGINEERING CONTROLS OR A HOUSEKEEPING PROGRAM!