OSHA Issues Temporary Guidelines on Respirator Use
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim guidance to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for enforcing the Respiratory Protection standard 29 CFR § 1910.134, and certain other health standards, regarding supply shortages of disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs).
It includes specific requirements that employers must follow to ensure workers are provided and are properly using appropriate respiratory protection when necessary to protect their health.
This guidance applies in all industries, including workplaces in which:
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Healthcare personnel (HCP) are exposed to patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other sources of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).
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Protection of workers exposed to other respiratory hazards is impacted by the shortage resulting from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such workplace respiratory hazards may be covered by one or more substance-specific health standards.
These OSHA guidelines are in effect until further notice and outline enforcement discretion for:
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Extended use and reuse of FFRs, including those that are beyond their manufacturer’s expiration date (Enforcement Guidance for Respiratory Protection and the N95 Shortage Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic)
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FFRs and air-purifying elastomeric respirators that are certified under standards of other countries or jurisdictions and, when equipment certified by other countries or jurisdictions is not available, equipment previously certified by other countries or jurisdictions but beyond its expiration date (Enforcement Guidance for Use of Respiratory Protection Equipment Certified under Standards of Other Countries or Jurisdictions During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic)
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