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Respirators protect workers against oxygen-deficient environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, fumes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. These hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, diseases, or death.
OSHA’s respiratory protection standard applies to General Industry employers who have employees exposed to hazards for which respiratory protection is required or used voluntarily (there are limited employer requirements for certain voluntary use).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a guide to air-purifying respirators that describes filtering facepiece respirators, elastomeric half- and full-facepiece respirators, and powered air-purifying respirators. Air-purifying respirators remove gases, vapors, aerosols (airborne droplets and solid particles), or a combination of contaminants from the air through the use of filters, cartridges, or canisters. NIOSH notes that these respirators do not supply oxygen from other than the working atmosphere, and cannot be used in an atmosphere that is oxygen-deficient or immediately dangerous to life or health.
Employers are required to: