Whenever activities like dry sanding, paint mixing and spray painting are present in a vehicle shop, respiratory protection must be provided and the requirements of an OSHA respiratory protection program have to be met.
Creating and implementing a written respiratory protection program that meets the OSHA requirements “can be a complex and challenging task,” says Scott Larson, respiratory protection technical services manager of the 3M Personal Safety Division. To help health and safety managers find the resources they need to develop and implement a successful OSHA-compliant respiratory protection program, the division has launched the 3M Center for Respiratory Protection (www.3m.com/respiratorycenter).
3M (www.3M.com) is a company that applies science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily.
TAILORED PROGRAM
“When respirators are used in a workplace, OSHA requires companies to establish and maintain a written respiratory protection plan,” Larson explains. “A comprehensive and effective plan isn’t something that can be downloaded from the Internet. An effective program needs to be tailored to the individual needs of the users at each worksite.”
With the online resource, 3M’s technical service specialists summarize key points that those responsible for worker health and safety need to know to help establish and maintain a successful respiratory protection program, he says. It provides the tools to help employers as they put a program in place.
The 3M Center for Respiratory Protection outlines eight general steps to help guide users as they work to create and maintain a respiratory protection program:
- Exposure assessment.
- Respiratory selection.
- Medical evaluations.
- Fit testing.
- Respirator training.
- Respirator maintenance.
- Program evaluation.
- Recordkeeping.
The website also provides articles, videos, toolkits, fast facts and more.
Information on selecting the right respirators for a workplace can be found at: http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/safety-centers-of-expertise-us/respiratory-protection/respirator-selection.
