RESPIRATORY CARE PROGRAM

Respiratory Care Program

Respiratory Care Program

A respiratory care program (RCP) is intended to protect employees from exposure to hazardous levels of occupational dusts, fumes, mists, gases, vapors, biological agents and infectious pathogens. At first glance, building a compliant RCP can appear to be overwhelming, even for an SH&E professional. However, OSHA respiratory standards are fairly well prescribed, and tools are available to help employers build and maintain an effective program.

Establishing an RCP

Why is establishing an effective RCP important? OSHA reports its respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134) was the fourth most cited standard during FY2010. These citations represent far too many preventable workplace injuries and illnesses occurring as a result of airborne hazards. According to NIOSH7S National Occupational Respiratory Mortality System, during the 10-year period from 1995 to 2004, more than 28,000 occupational-related pneumoconiosis deaths occurred in the U.S. (Druss, et al, 2003).

Additionally, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), during the period 1972 to 2004, the estimated cases of occupational respiratory conditions due to toxic agents ranged from 7,900 cases in 1983 to 25,300 cases in 1994. BLS reported 17,600 cases in 2004, which is the most recent year available.

How does an employer know whether a respirator program is required? In most instances, a program is required if a respirator is needed to protect the employee's health, if the employer requires its use or if the employer allows voluntary use of a respirator (Fried & Myron, 2008).

In addition, programs must be written, the employer must have a designated program administrator and worksite -specific procedures must be established. Depending on the workplace, the written program must include the selection, use, storage, maintenance and cleaning of respirators as well as emergency response, medical evaluation, fit testing, training and program evaluation procedures.

Program Administrator

The designated program administrator must be qualified to implement, evaluate and update the program. Qualified does not mean certified; rather, this individual must have the knowledge to recognize, evaluate and control hazards in the workplace. Ultimately, the appropriate qualifications for each employer's program administrator are determined by existing respiratory hazards, or those that are reasonably anticipated, at the employer's workplace. The administrator can rely on others to carry out program components such as fit testing and medical evaluations (Druss, et al, 2003).

Hazard Assessment

The first step in determining whether a respirator is needed to protect an employee is performing a hazard assessment. Identifying the hazard type (e.g., vapor, mist, dust, vapor, fume) is generally not too difficult; however, determining toxicity and measuring employee exposure can require specialized equipment and expertise.

Several helpful tools are available to determine whether a material is toxic or hazardous. For example, tables found in OSHA's air contaminants standard (29 CFR 1910.1000) list legally binding exposure limits for toxic and hazardous chemicals (Fried & Myron, 2008).

Conducting personnel monitoring is the most accurate and preferred method of measurement, however, estimating employee exposure is an acceptable practice if done correctly. Estimates can be obtained through extrapolation from short exposures, historical experience ...