Arizona State University




Respiratory Protection Plan
Pursuant to 29 CFR § 1910.134












Department of Environmental Health & Safety
March 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
Purpose
...........................................................................................................
1
Scope and Application ............................................................................................... 1
Responsibilities ......................................................................................................... 2

Program
Administrator .................................................................................... 3

Supervisors .................................................................................................... 3

Employees
...................................................................................................... 4
Respiratory Protection Program Elements ................................................................... 4

Selection
Procedures ....................................................................................... 5

Hazard
Assessment ......................................................................................... 5
Certifications ........................................................................................ 8
Voluntary
Respirator Use ....................................................................... 8
Medical
Evaluation .......................................................................................... 8
Fit
Testing ...................................................................................................... 9
Respirator Use ................................................................................................ 10
User
Seal
Check Procedures ................................................................... 11
Emergency
Procedures .......................................................................... 11
Respirator
Malfunction ........................................................................... 12
Defective
Respirators ............................................................................ 12
IDLH
Procedures ................................................................................... 12
Air
Quality ...................................................................................................... 12
Cleaning,
Maintenance, and Storage ................................................................. 13
Change
Schedule
............................................................................................
14
Training ........................................................................................................ 15
Program Evaluation ................................................................................................... 16
Documentation and Record keeping ........................................................................... 16
Applicable Regulations .............................................................................................. 16
Appendix I: Definitions .............................................................................................. 16
Appendix II: OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire ................................... 25
Appendix III: Respiratory Protection Personnel ............................................................ 33
Appendix IV: Hazard Assessment ............................................................................... 35
Appendix V: (Mandatory) Information for Employees Using Respirators When not
Required by Standard 1910.134 Appendix D ............................................ 37
Appendix VI: Department Specific Respirator (SOP) Form ............................................ 39
Appendix VII: Air Purifying Respirators Canister Color Codes ........................................ 44




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INTRODUCTION

Under the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administrations
(OSHA) employers are required to establish and implement procedures for the proper use
of respirators. The Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR §1910.134, is designed to
minimize employee exposure to hazardous contaminants in the workplace by providing a
means by which employees are informed of potential hazards and made aware of what
measures can be utilized to minimize or eliminate the potential for exposure. This program
meets the requirements of §1910.134(a)(2) which requires an employer to establish and
maintain a written respiratory protection program and contains all of the elements specified
in §1910.134(c) of OSHAs Respiratory Protection Standard.


PURPOSE

Arizona State University Department of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has
determined that some employees may be required to enter environments where airborne
contaminants may be present exposing them to respiratory hazards during routine or non-
routine operations. These hazards include dust, particulates, and vapors, and in some
cases represent Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) conditions. The purpose
of this program is to establish procedures that ensure that all ASU employees are protected
from exposure to these respiratory hazards.

Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for airborne contaminants have been established and
are enforceable through OSHA. Where a PEL is exceeded for a substance listed in Table Z
of 29 CFR § 1910.1000 (Appendix VI), a citation may be incurred. Therefore, ASU is
required to provide respiratory protection when engineering controls, work practice, or
administrative controls are not feasible to protect employees from airborne contaminants.

Engineering controls, such as enclosure of the operation or local exhaust ventilation, work
practice controls, such as training and housekeeping, and administrative controls, such as
scheduling or substituting hazardous material with a less toxic material are the first line of
defense when controlling occupational diseases caused by breathing air contaminated with
harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors. These controls may
not always be feasible for some operations, or cannot always completely control the
identified hazards. In these situations, respirators and other protective equipment must be
used. Respirators are also needed to protect employees health during emergencies.

SCOPE AND APPLICATION

This program applies to all ASU employees who are or may be required to wear respirators
during routine work operations, and non-routine, or emergency operations, such as during
the clean-up of a spill of a hazardous substance. In addition, requirements for voluntary
use of respiratory protection for ASU employees are identified within the program.


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It is the policy of ASU that employees participating in the respiratory protection program do
so at no cost to them. The expense associated with training, medical evaluations, and
respiratory protection equipment will be carried by the participating employee department.

A written respiratory protection program is required to protect employees from airborne
workplace contaminants. The plan must include: medical evaluations, workplace specific
procedures, selection of respirators, training, and use during routine and emergency
situation, fit testing, donning, in-use monitoring, doffing, inspection, storage, maintenance,
and regular evaluation of the program. See OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR
§1910.134(c)(1)(vi) for additional information.

Once it has been determined that respiratory protection is necessary to protect employees
from harmful airborne contaminants, those employees will participate in the respiratory
protection program. Employees shall select respirators from a sufficient number of
respirator models and sizes so that the respirator is acceptable to, and correctly fits, the
user. The chart located in Appendix VII, Air Purifying Respirators Canister Color Codes, will
aid in the appropriate selection of canisters for specific air contaminants.

RESPONSIBILITIES


Program Administrator Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S)

The EH&S Director or designee is the Program Administrator and responsible for
administering the respiratory protection program and has the authority to make decisions
and implement changes, as necessary. Duties include:



Identify work areas, processes, or tasks that require employees to wear respirators;
Provide technical assistance to university departments and units in their effort to
address the mandates established by the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard;
Evaluate hazards to determine the type of respirators and level of protection required
and approving each departments standard operating procedures for respiratory
protection;
Monitor respirator use to ensure that respirators are used in accordance with their
approval;
Arrange and/or conduct required training and fit testing;
Ensure standard operating procedures meet the requirements of this program including
proper storage and maintenance of respiratory protection equipment;
Verify the medical evaluation program for employees required to wear respiratory
equipment;
Establish periodic inspection schedule of those workplaces/conditions that require
respiratory protection to determine exposure