7
EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITIES
Your specific responsibilities may vary by location and industry, but in general RPB
®
expects that
employers will:
Follow all applicable standards and regulations for your location, industry, and activity.
Depending on your location and industry, a number of standards and regulations may
apply to your selection and use of respirators and other personal protective equipment.
These may include such things as national, local, or military standards and regulations
and consensus standards such as CE and AS/NZS. There are also requirements specific to
particular contaminants, e.g. silica (see rpbsafety.com for more information), asbestos, organic
pathogens, etc. Know which requirements apply to your location and industry.
Have appropriate safety programs in place.
Have and follow:
A workplace safety program.
A written respiratory protection program in accordance with applicable standards and
regulations.
In accordance with the above
,
Perform a hazard analysis and select appropriate equipment for each activity.
A
hazard analysis should be performed by a qualified person. Controls should be in
place as appropriate and a qualified person should determine what kind of respiratory,
face and eye, head, and hearing protection is appropriate for the intended activities
and environments of use. (For example, select a respirator appropriate to the specific
airborne hazards, with consideration of workplace and user factors and with an Assigned
Protection Factor (APF) that meets or exceeds the required level for employee protection,
select welding face and eye protection appropriate to the type of welding to be done, etc.)
As applicable, check your workplace safety program, respiratory protection program, and
standards and regulations for your activity or industry for related protection requirements,
and see this manual (Protection Provided and Limitations, page 4) and the head top
Instruction Manual for product specifications.
Be sure employees are medically qualified to use a respirator.
Have a qualified physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) perform
medical evaluations using a medical questionnaire or an initial medical examination.
AIR SOURCE
Powered Air
Check that the contaminated area is within the limits of use for a Powered Air Purifying Respirator
and determine the type of contamination. Once the contamination level has been confirmed you
can then determine the filter cartridge to be used for the application, to make sure that you are
sufficiently protected. Make sure that the area is well ventilated and that regular air samples are
taken to confirm the atmosphere stays within the levels recommended by local regulations and
other governing bodies.
