Respiratory protection - Washington

Washington’s state requirements regarding respiratory protection include a substantial amount of regulatory information beyond the federal requirements. A summary of the additional requirements includes the following:

• The definitions for the following terms are added: breathing air, cartridge respirator, DOSH, dust mask, emergency respirator, exposed or exposure, full-facepiece respirator, gas mask, half-facepiece respirator, NIOSH, permissible exposure limits (PELs), required use, respirator, respiratory hazard, sorbent, and voluntary use. See WAC 296-842-10200, Definitions.
• The definitions for the following terms are revised: air-purifying respirator (APR), powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), and tight-fitting facepiece. See WAC 296-842-10200, Definitions.
• The definition for the terms, employee exposure, interior structural firefighting, and maximum use concentration (MUC), are missing from Washington state’s requirements. See WAC 296-842-10200, Definitions.
• Before deciding to use respirators, employers must evaluate respiratory hazards and implement control methods according to WAC 296-841, Airborne Contaminants.
• If a lack of sufficient oxygen is probable, supply workers with and ensure workers use approved equipment OR provide a sufficient supply air that is safe and respirable prior to and during entry, according to WAC 296-62-135. Also, provide these workers with constant observation. Finally, test areas where oxygen content is unknown or may change, prior to and during entry.
• WAC 296-842-100, Scope and Application, unlike federal OSHA, provides a table showing employers which sections apply to them depending on various factors, including voluntary use of respirators.
• Some of the WAC 296-842-110, Voluntary Use Requirements and Recordkeeping, requirements apply even if only filtering-facepiece respirators are used voluntarily.
• Employers who choose to require respirator use must consider that use NOT voluntary and the “required use” sections of WAC 296-842, Respirators, apply.
• WAC 296-842-11005, Make Sure Voluntary Use of Respirators Is Safe, adds a list of respirator uses that are not considered to be voluntary uses.
• Much of the voluntary use requirements under WAC 296-842-11005, Make Sure Voluntary Use of Respirators Is Safe, and 296-842-11010, Keep Voluntary Use Respirator Program Records, add requirements beyond or differ greatly from federal OSHA requirement.
• Employers must ensure that it follows written respiratory protection program specifications and procedures and that those specifications and procedures are appropriate.
• Employers must reevaluate respirator selection if changes occur. Supervisors must periodically monitor employee respirator use to check for proper use.
• Employers must include, among other things, in their written respiratory protection program that covers each employee required by WAC 296-842 to use a respirator:
  • A list of the appropriate respirator for each respiratory hazard;
  • Training provisions for respiratory hazards encountered during infrequent activities like bimonthly equipment cleaning;
  • Respiratory use procedures for infrequent activities;
  • A cartridge or canister change schedule and data used to calculate change schedule values IF air-purifying respirators are selected for gas or vapor contaminants and an end-of-service-life-indicator is not available.
• Training records that have employee names and training dates must be kept.
• WAC 296-842-13005, Select and Provide Appropriate Respirators, unlike the federal OSHA requirements, provide a step-by-step respirator selection process along with a listing of assigned protection factors. Also, much of WAC 296-842-13005 differs from federal OSHA requirements.
• WAC 296-842-14005, Provide Medical Evaluations, does not apply to employers who only use filtering-facepiece respirators voluntarily or escape-only respirators that are mouthpiece, loose-fitting, or hooded respirators.
• Under certain circumstances listed in WAC 296-842-14005, employers may use a previous employer’s medical evaluation for an employee.
• The medical examination or questionnaire must be administered at no cost to the employee.
• Employers must not look at medical questionnaire answers or act in a way that breaches confidentiality.
• If the licensed health care professional (LHCP) needs more information to make a final recommendation, then the employer must provide follow-up evaluation for employees.
• Follow-up evaluations may include, among other things, employee consultation with the LHCP over the telephone.
• If an employer’s staff conducts medical evaluations, then completed questionnaires and findings must be kept confidential and separate from other records.
• If a respirator program administrator or supervisor informs the employer that an employee needs a medical reevaluation, then subsequent medical evaluations must be provided.
• WAC 296-842-15005, Conduct Fit Testing, does not apply to employers who only use respirators for voluntary use, mouthpiece respirators and other escape-only respirators, or loose-fitting respirators.
• Under certain circumstances listed in WAC 296-842-15005, Conduct Fit Testing, employers may accept a fit test completed by a previous employer.
• When a negative pressure respirator (such as a full facepiece air-purifying respirator, SCBA operated in demand (negative pressure) mode, and air-line respirators operated in demand mode) will be used in concentrations that require a protection factor over 10, employers must use quantitative fit-test methods.
• Employers must fit test tight-fitting powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs), self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs), or air-line respirators in negative-pressure mode. Methods are explained at WAC 296-842-15005(4).
• WAC 296-842-16005, Training, does not apply to employees who voluntarily use respirators, but training and information under WAC 296-842-11005 does apply.
• If employees use respirators, supervise respirator users, or issue, repair, or adjust respirators, then employers must train employees, based on their duties.
• Employers must ensure that only qualified trainers provide training.
• Under certain circumstances listed in WAC 296-842-16005, Provide Effective Training, an employer may accept an employee’s previous training to satisfy initial training.
• Employers must keep respirators clean and in good working order, at no cost to the employee. If respirator manufacturer procedures are used, they must not harm to the user, must result in a clean and sanitary respirator, and must not damage the respirator. Employers may use automated cleaning and disinfecting. Employers may also use a central facility as long as respirators are clean, sanitary, and function properly. After cleaning and disinfecting, employers must ensure that respirators are assembled properly. If a respirator will be used only by one employee, then it must be cleaned and disinfected as often as necessary to prevent health hazards like skin irritation and to keep it clean and functioning. If a respirator will be used for fit testing or training, it must be cleaned and disinfected before it is worn by another employee.
• WAC 296-842-17005, Maintain Respirators in a Clean and Reliable Condition, applies to employees who voluntarily use respirators too, but only when maintenance is needed to prevent a hazard from being created by the respirator.
• Employers must store an adequate number of emergency respirators where needed.
• If a respirator is not functioning, employers must repair or replace it before the employee enters a respirator-required situation.
• Employers must not allow respirators that are not functioning due to leakage, breakthrough, or increased breathing resistance to be used until repaired or adjusted.
• SCBAs must be inspected monthly if they are not used.
• WAC 296-842-18005, Prevent Sealing Problems with Tight-fitting Respirators, does not apply to voluntary use respirators.
• If employees become ill, dizzy, nauseous, weak, or experience breathing difficulty, coughing, sneezing, vomiting, fever, or chills, then they must leave the respirator use area.
• Employers may use the 1990 or more recent editions of the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards to determine IDLH conditions.
• Employers must provide at least two standby employees outside the IDLH area. However, one standby employee is acceptable under conditions listed in WAC 296-842-19005, Provide Stand-by Assistance in IDLH Conditions.
• Washington state, unlike federal OSHA, does not provide for separate procedures for interior structural firefighting in WAC 296-842.
• Employers must not allow asphyxiating substances (like nitrogen) to enter breathing air lines.
• WAC 296-842-20015 is completely different from the federal OSHA requirements. This section deals with making sure compressors do not create a hazardous breathing air supply.
• Employers may use online medical questionnaires if questions are the same as that required in WAC 296-842-14005.
• The tight-fitting respirator fit-testing procedure requirements found in WAC 296-842-22010, Follow These Fit-Testing Procedures for Tight-Fitting Respirators, are mostly equivalent to those in the federal OSHA regulations, with a few minor additions. Table 19 provides appropriate fit test exercises. The Washington Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) allows two fit test exercise options for the controlled negative pressure fit test procedure:
  • The method published in WAC 296-842-22010 (this method has fewer exercises than federal OSHA), or
  • The method published in federal OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.134, Appendix A.
• If after performing a successful positive seal check and then detecting leakage during a negative seal check, the employee must remove the respirator to inspect it, reposition it on his/her face, and repeat both the positive and negative seal checks. If an employee cannot pass both a positive and a negative seal check, the respirator is not functioning properly and the employee should see their supervisor.
• WAC 296-842 does not contain the regulations on engineering controls and employee exposure assessment. Instead Washington state places these requirements in WAC 296-841-200, Evaluate and Control Employee Exposures. However, WAC 296-841-200 adds requirements beyond or differs greatly from the federal OSHA requirements about engineering controls and exposure assessment.

To ensure that you are in compliance with these requirements, click on the following links to view the state and federal regulations regarding respiratory protection: