Did you know that OSHA recently published a new resource to help employers select respirators based on assigned protection factors (APFs)? In addition, the agency revised its Field Operations Manual to provide OSHA compliance officers with a single comprehensive resource of updated guidance.
The guidance document Assigned Protection Factors for the Revised Respiratory Protection Standard covers the new selection guidelines that were added to the Respiratory Protection Standard in 2006. APF refers to the workplace level of respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is able to provide to workers. The higher the APF number (5 to 10,000), the greater the level of protection provided to the user. APFs are used to select the appropriate class of respirators that will provide the necessary level of protection against airborne contaminants. Such exposures can come from particles or a gas or vapor. This document is extremely helpful to anyone responsible for maintaining a respirator program at their workplace.
View the APF Document at OSHA’s website.
The Field Operations Manual, formerly called the Field Inspection Reference Manual, includes OSHA’s general enforcement policy and procedures for the agency’s field offices in conducting inspections, issuing citations and proposing penalties. Granted, this is pretty dry reading for even the most energetic safety professional, however, it will give you a good perspective of the procedures that must be adhered to by an OSHA inspector if they visit your facility. If you ever wanted to be an OSHA inspector, you need to have a very good grasp of this manual!
The Field Operations Manual is available online at OSHA’s website.
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