A respiratory protection program is the written system that makes respirators actually protect people. It covers assessing the airborne hazard, choosing the right respirator, confirming each worker can wear it safely, fit testing, training, and keeping equipment clean and maintained. Without a program, a respirator can give a false sense of safety. In Canada, CSA Z94.4 is the standard most provincial rules point to.
When respirators are needed
Respirators sit at the bottom of the hierarchy of controls. They are used when airborne hazards cannot be reduced to safe levels by elimination, substitution, ventilation or work practices, during the time it takes to install those controls, or for emergency and short-term tasks. Examples include:
- Dusts such as silica from cutting and grinding concrete.
- Welding fumes in areas without adequate local exhaust.
- Solvent and paint vapours.
- Mould and asbestos abatement.
- Toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide, where supplied-air or self-contained equipment may be required.
- Oxygen-deficient atmospheres, which need supplied air, never an air-purifying respirator.
Program elements
CSA Z94.4 and provincial rules describe the elements a program should have. In summary:
- A written program with a named administrator responsible for it
- Hazard assessment of the airborne contaminants and their concentrations
- Respirator selection based on the hazard, the task and the worker
- A process to confirm workers are fit to wear a respirator
- Fit testing for tight-fitting respirators
- Training for wearers and supervisors
- Inspection, cleaning, maintenance and storage
- Air quality requirements for supplied-air systems
- Records and periodic program review
Assessing the hazard
You need to know what the contaminant is, its form (particulate, gas, vapour or a combination), its likely concentration, the applicable occupational exposure limit, and whether oxygen could be low. Air sampling by a qualified person gives the most reliable picture. Some situations are immediately dangerous to life or health, and these call for the highest level of protection.
Choosing a respirator
Air-purifying respirators
These filter or absorb contaminants from the surrounding air. They include filtering facepieces, half-face and full-face elastomeric respirators with filters or cartridges, and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). They do not supply oxygen and are only suitable when oxygen levels are adequate and the contaminant can be removed by the filter or cartridge chosen.
Atmosphere-supplying respirators
These supply clean breathing air from a compressor, cylinder or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). They are required for oxygen-deficient atmospheres and many high-hazard situations.
Selection considers the protection factor needed, the type of filter or cartridge, how long the task lasts, the physical demands of the work, communication needs, compatibility with other PPE, and the worker's comfort. Respirators should be certified, typically by NIOSH, and used only with the manufacturer's approved parts.
Fit testing and fit checks
A tight-fitting respirator only works if it seals to the wearer's face. Fit testing, done qualitatively (using a taste or smell agent) or quantitatively (measuring leakage with an instrument), confirms that a specific make, model and size seals on a specific person. It is repeated at the interval set by CSA Z94.4 and your provincial rules, and whenever something changes, such as a different respirator model or significant changes to the wearer's face.
A user seal check is a quick positive and negative pressure check the worker does each time they put the respirator on. It does not replace fit testing.
Facial hair breaks the seal. Beards and stubble where the respirator meets the skin prevent a tight-fitting respirator from sealing. Where workers cannot be clean-shaven, loose-fitting PAPRs or hoods may be an option, if they suit the hazard.
Fitness to wear a respirator
Breathing through a respirator puts extra load on the heart and lungs. Programs should include a way to identify workers who may have trouble wearing one, which may involve a health questionnaire reviewed by a qualified health professional. Requirements differ by province and respirator type.
Training
Wearers should know why the respirator is needed, its limits, how to put it on and do a seal check, how to inspect it, when to change filters or cartridges, what to do if it fails, and how to clean and store it. Supervisors need to recognize misuse and know when the program needs updating.
Maintenance and storage
Respirators are inspected before each use, cleaned after use (or discarded if disposable), and stored away from contaminants, sunlight, heat and crushing. Cartridges are changed according to a change schedule based on the contaminant and conditions, not on smell or taste, since many contaminants give no warning. SCBA and supplied-air equipment need regular servicing by competent people.
A typical case: a concrete cutting crew
A renovation contractor's crew cuts and cores concrete floors and walls inside occupied buildings. The hazard is respirable crystalline silica. The contractor first uses saws with water suppression and vacuums fitted with suitable filters, which cut the dust a great deal but not to zero, especially in small rooms. Air sampling on a few representative jobs shows that respirators are still needed during cutting.
Because oxygen is normal and silica is a particulate a filter can capture, air-purifying respirators are suitable. The contractor picks a protection factor that covers the measured levels with a margin, chooses half-face elastomeric respirators with particulate filters for most of the crew, and offers loose-fitting PAPRs to two workers who wear beards for religious reasons. Each worker on a tight-fitting respirator is fit tested on the exact make, model and size issued. Everyone is trained on seal checks, filter changes and cleaning. Records of the sampling, selection, fit tests and training go into the program file, and the selection is reviewed when the crew starts using a new saw or works in a smaller space than usual. See cutting and coring concrete safely for the wider controls.
What to record for each fit test
- Worker's name and date
- Respirator make, model and size
- Test method, qualitative or quantitative, and the result
- Name of the person who ran the test
- Next test due date under your program
Gaps that undermine programs
- Respirators issued without any air sampling or exposure estimate.
- One model and size for everyone, so smaller and larger faces never get a good seal.
- Fit tests done once and never repeated.
- Cartridges changed when the wearer smells something, rather than on a schedule.
- Respirators left hanging in the work area, collecting the dust they are meant to stop.
How ehZee can help
ehZee helps employers write and review respiratory protection programs that match their hazards and provincial requirements, and fit them into the wider safety program. See safety program development and review, and choosing the right PPE.
Common questions
Is a dust mask a respirator?
Only if it is a certified filtering facepiece respirator. Nuisance dust masks without certification are not respirators and should not be used for protection against hazardous dusts.
Do voluntary users need a program?
Where a worker chooses to wear a respirator when it is not required, some elements still apply, such as making sure the respirator itself does not create a hazard. Check CSA Z94.4 and your provincial rules.
Does a fit test on one respirator cover another model?
No. A fit test applies to the specific make, model and size tested. If the worker switches to a different model or size, they need a new fit test on that respirator.