Negative pressure respirator

Level C utilizes a splash suit along with a full-faced positive or negative pressure respirator (a filter-type gas mask) rather than an SCBA or air line. 

Positive-pressure respirators maintain a positive pressure in the facepiece during both inhalation and exhalation. Negative-pressure respirators draw air into the facepiece via the negative pressure created by user inhalation. Different types of facepieces are available for use with the various types of respirators. 

Negative pressure respirator (tightfitting) means a respiratorin which the airpressure inside the facepiece is negative during inhalation with respect to the ambient air pressure outside the respirator. 

Medical exams In general industry, exposed employees must have a preplacement physical examination before being assigned to an occupation exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos at or above the action level or the excursion level. The physical examination must include chest x-ray, medical and work history, and pulmonary function tests. Subsequent exams must be given annually and upon termination of employment, although chest x-rays are required annually only for older workers whose first asbestos exposure occurred more than 10 years ago. In construction, examinations must be made available annually for workers exposed above the action level, or excursion limit, for 30 or more days per year, or who are required to wear negative pressure respirators chest x-rays are at the discretion of the physician. 

Any recommended limitation upon the employee s use of respirators, including a determination of whether the employee can wear a powered air purifying respirator if a physician determines that the employee cannot wear a negative pressure respirator and... 

The standard requires your employer to provide oer-tain information to a physioian to aid in his or her examination of you. This information inoludes (1) the standard and its appendioes, (2) a desoription of your duties as they relate to oooupational lead exposure, (3) your exposure level or antioipated exposure level, (4) a desoription of any personal protective equipment you wear, (5) prior blood lead level results, and (6) prior written medioal opinions oonoerning you that the employer has. After a medioal examination or oonsultation the physioian must prepare a written report whioh must contain (1) the physioian s opinion as to whether you have any medioal oondition whioh plaoes you at inoreased risk of material impairment to health from exposure to lead, (2) any reoommended spe-oial proteotive measures to be provided to you, (3) any blood lead level determinations, and (4) any reoommended limitation on your use of respirators. This last element must inolude a determination of whether you oan wear a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) if you are found unable to wear a negative pressure respirator. 

The probed respirator is only used for quantitative fit tests. A probed respirator has a special sampling device, installed on the respirator, that allows the probe to sample the air from inside the mask. A probed respirator is required for each make, style, model, and size that the employer uses and can be obtained from the respirator manufacturer or distributor. The CNC instrument manufacturer. TSI Inc., also provides probe attachments (TSI sampling adapters) that permit fit testing in an employee s own respirator. A minimum fit factor pass level of at least 100 is necessary for a half-mask respirator and a minimum fit factor pass level of at least 500 is required for a full facepiece negative pressure respirator. The entire screening and testing procedure shall be explained to the test subject prior to the conduct of the screening test. 

B) For employees otherwise required by this standard to wear a negative pressure respirator, employers shall ensure employees are physically able to perform the work and use the equipment. This determination shall be made under the supervision of a physician. 

A) Prior to assignment of the employee to an area where negative- pressure respirators are worn ... 

A. Other considerations. DBCP can cause both acute and chronic effects. It is important that the physician become familiar with the operating conditions in which exposure to DBCP occurs. Those with respiratory disorders may not tolerate the wearing of negative pressure respirators. 

Respirator fit testing, (i) The employer shall establish and maintain accurate records for employees subject to negative pressure respirator fit testing required by this standard. 

Respiratory Protection Use NIOSFI-approved full facepiece negative pressure respirators equipped with approved cartridges or canisters within the use limitations of these devices. (Rresent restrictions on cartridges and... 

Because of the importance of lung function to workers required to wear certain types of respirators to protect themselves from MC exposure, these workers must receive an assessment of pulmonary function before they begin to wear a negative pressure respirator and at least annually thereafter. The recommended pulmonary function tests include measurement of the employee s forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one sec-... 

Employees need to be medically cleared to wear respirators before beginning use. All respirators generally place a burden on the employee. Negative pressure respirators restrict breathing, some respirators can cause claustrophobia and self-contained breathing apparatuses are heavy. Each of these conditions may adversely affect the health of some employees who wear respirators. A physician or other ficensed health care professional operating... 

Do tight-fitting negative pressure respirators that are worn voluntariiy require a fit test ... 

What negative-pressure respirators may be fit-tested with a qualitative fit test (QLFT) ... 

Yes. The standard requires fit testing of the facepiece to check for leakage. The standard allows the employer to conduct the test by using a negative pressure respirator with a facepiece of the same make, model, and size as the positive pressure facepiece, or by temporarily converting the facepiece for the positive pressure apparatus to a negative pressure device and performing the fit test. 

Are medical evaluations required for positive pressure, as well as negative pressure, respirators ... 

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