Why is NIOSH Certification of Respiratory Protection Important?
What is the significance of having a respirator approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)? To answer this, it is important to understand NIOSH as well as U.S. OSHA and the primary function of each.
What are the Functions of NIOSH and U.S. OSHA?
NIOSH is responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. NIOSH is also responsible for approval of respiratory equipment. U.S. OSHA is the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration and their mission statement identifies their goal as publishing guidance and regulations to help “ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”1
One of the referenced U.S. OSHA standards is 29 CFR 1910.134. This standard outlines OSHA requirements for employers who provide respirators to their workers and directs employers on the requirements for a respiratory protection program. As part of any respiratory protection program, OSHA requires that the respirator selected for use is approved by NIOSH.
NIOSH approval is issued only to a specific and complete respirator assembly after the respirator has been evaluated in the laboratory and found to comply with all requirements of Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 84, and after the manufacturer’s quality plan is determined to be satisfactory. A NIOSH approval applies only to the specific respirator that is made up of the components included on the NIOSH approval label.2
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), worker safety can be compromised by using parts or accessories that are not NIOSH-approved for the specific respirator. Although NIOSH-approved respirators are comprised of various component parts, they are approved as a complete unit. Substitution of components that are not part of the original approved system results in a respirator that has not been evaluated by NIOSH.3 Unevaluated respirator assemblies may not function at the expected level of protection, putting the worker at risk for exposure to airborne hazards.4
How Do You Know if a Respirator is NIOSH Approved?
It is the employer’s responsibility to perform a hazard assessment and determine the correct NIOSH-approved respirator for the task.5 There are many resources and informational tools to support respiratory programs and help you understand if a respirator in a specific configuration is approved by NIOSH. We can help you select appropriate NIOSH-approved respiratory products given the hazards your workers face on a specific worksite while conducting certain applications or tasks.
What Documentation Should You Look for to Verify NIOSH Approval?
Both an approval label and User Instructions are supplied with all NIOSH-approved respirators. These documents, a single copy of which may accompany either a large or small package of respirators, should not be discarded before all the respirators are used or discarded. In addition to the approval number, the NIOSH approval label contains contact information for the respirator manufacturer/supplier, cautions and limitations for use, and directions for proper use. It is very important to read and follow all the manufacturer’s instructions for the respirator that you are using.