Programa respiración

Introduction

Respirators are used to protect employees from inhaling hazardous chemicals in the air. These chemicals can be in the form of gases, vapors, mists or dust. If you providerespirators to your employees to protect them from airborne chemical hazards, you must have a written respiratory protection program. The written program must spell out how you do thefollowing at your workplace:

How the proper respirators for the particular hazards are selected and issued (include a list of respirators used),

When and how respirators will be used inroutine work activities, infrequent activities, and foreseeable emergencies such as spill response, rescue or escape situations,

How medical evaluations of respirator wearers is provided,How respirator fit-testing is done,

How respirators in use are cleaned, stored, inspected and repaired or discarded,

How sufficient high purity air is provided for air-suppliedrespirators (if you use them),

How employees are trained about respiratory hazards at your workplace,

How employees are trained on the proper use of the respirators used at your workplace,How you evaluate the effectiveness of your respiratory program.

The answers to the above “how” questions will depend on the unique conditions at your workplace. The information must bespecific and reflect what you actually do or require to be done, not just what seems like the right thing to do. It must describe actual conditions and actions at your workplace.

Toprovide proper protection, respirators must be the right type, must be worn correctly at all times, and must be maintained properly. They are prone to leakage, depend on the correct behaviorof individual employees and may require much maintenance and management oversight. This is why they are considered as a last resort to protect employees from airborne chemical hazards.