You have just been transferred to the Mica-Bradshaw Manufacturing Plant outside

Question

You have just been transferred to the Mica-Bradshaw Manufacturing Plant outside of Raleigh-Durham. After a recent inspection and a hefty fine, it has become necessary for Mica-Bradshaw to chuck their old plan and develop an entirely new respiratory protection program. Because of your years of experience as an independent tester, the job of designing this program has fallen on your shoulders. What should your written respiratory protection program include? Much to your dismay, you realize that Mica-Bradshaw has never established an employee training program for the proper use of respirators. At a minimum, what should the employees know about respirator usage? How often should they be retrained? During your first training session, you ask the employees about the proper steps toward respirator maintenance to get a feel for how much knowledge they might already possess. They were completely clueless about proper cleaning methods, and only one person knew how to store respirators properly. What is the proper storage method? You notice that one of the plant managers is sitting in the back of the room nodding in agreement to everything you say, but not taking any notes. "You should be our new program administrator, " you say to her. What are the duties of a program administrator?

Explanation / Answer

1.
The new program should be complaint with the OSHA regulations on Respiratory Protection
which includes -

   - Keeping a written record provides proof of compliance with the regulatory standards to OSHA.
   It also gives employees a reliable source for information about respiratory protection procedures,
   and it’s invaluable in helping evaluate the program.

   - The record should:
       + State all the policies and procedures established for your workplace.
       + List who is responsible for which parts of the program.
       + Contain all the documentation gathered during all of the previous steps.
       + It takes work and organization to set up and maintain each part of a respiratory protection program.
       Requirements may vary by state, and by type and level of respiratory hazards employees face,
       but it’s essential for meeting governmental requirements and helping keep your workforce safe.

2.
At bare minimum, the employees should atleast know the following -

There are two main kinds of respirators:
   - Air-purifying respirators, which use filters, cartridges or canisters to remove contaminants from the air you breathe.
   - Atmosphere-supplying respirators, which provide you with clean air from an uncontaminated source.
  
Respirators used in workplace should be approved by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Different types of respirators, filters and cartridges are needed depending on whether the airborne contaminants in the workplace
are particles, gases, vapors or other hazards. One respirator is not the solution for all the tasks an employee does in an organization.

3.
Training should happen annually and in case of below events -
   - Changes in the workplace or the type of respirator render previous training obsolete;
   - Inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of the respirator indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill; or
   - Any other situation arises in which retraining appears necessary to ensure safe respirator use.
  
4.
All respirators should be stored to protect them from damage, contamination, dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures,
excessive moisture and damaging chemicals.

We need to make sure the way they’re packed doesn’t distort the facepiece and exhalation valve and that they are not hung by their straps.

Emergency respirators have some additional requirements:
   - They must be kept accessible to the work area, in compartments or in covers that are clearly marked
   as containing emergency respirators, and in accordance with any applicable manufacturer instructions.

5.
   - The Program administrator makes visual observations of, changes in the employee's physical condition
   that could affect respirator fit. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, facial scarring,
   dental changes, cosmetic surgery, or an obvious change in body weight and inform the same to employer.
  
   - A suitably trained program administrator should administer the respiratory protection program.

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