Industrial Hygiene in Construction

There are only a few instances when you are not required to perform fit testing. The main reason not to perform fit testing is if the employees are wearing a respirator voluntary. (meaning: it’s not required)

So, how do you know if it’s required? It’s required when:

• You have overexposures to a substance (it’s required by OSHA to wear a respirator- so make sure you know, perform air monitoring), or
• If everyone is wearing a respirator during this task (it’s probably also required, just not formally- ie. spray finishing, or my favorite sanding drywall dust) or,
• If your company policy requires them to be worn (management says: it’s required to wearing a respirator during this task).

So, if you choose voluntary to wear a respirator and there is NOT a policy, or law, that says you HAVE to wear one then, you don’t need fit testing. (but you do need a few other things, Appendix D, etc.)

There is only one other exception:

• loose fitting hooded /helmet atmosphere supply respirators (when used in areas not immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH))

Some employers choose to use these types of respirators because:

• the employee wears a beard
• it is convenient to use
• offers eye/face/neck protection
• it offers a greater protection factor
• it’s easier to don/doff (take on/off)

These guidelines for fit testing are different than medial testing before wearing a respirator, as spoken about here.

Before you can wear a respirator here’s what has to happen:

If you’re an employer and your employees wear a respirator, they are required to have a medical approval (Appendix C of OSHA respiratory standard). more details here.

The employee fills out the confidential questionnaire and then submits it to the medical provider of the employer’s choice. 95% (I made that # up) of the time, based upon the questionnaire ONLY, they give an approval to wear a respirator.

Occasionally, some employees are requested to come into the medical office to have a spirometry test performed, which tests for lung function. (a video of how it is done, cool accent included) This tests provides more information for the physician/nurse to determine if wearing a respirator will be too difficult for an employee to wear.

The cost for either test is usually pretty close to the same price… spirometry test, or not.

Here’s my suggestion:  Have every employee perform a spirometry test before wearing a respirator. This helps to guarantee they are capable of wearing a respirator. Maybe they forgot to list a risk factor, maybe they have a hidden serious lung problem, or, maybe they lied on the questionnaire so they can wear a respirator and keep their job.?

It is also beneficial for pre-employment screening, claims defense, and for a baseline in health. The specific results are usually NOT view-able by the employer, but they can be subpoenaed.

There are some items you need to do BEFORE you wear a respirator. If you are using it on a voluntary basis, go here.

1. obtain medical approvalfor employees to wear a respirator
   • fill out a questionaiire (just like Appendix C of OSHA)
   • they might have you perform a lung function test (spirometry)
   • you will get a yes/no answer (probably 99% are approved)
   • you might try an online medical evaluation
2. have a fit test performed
   • qualitative fit test unless you wear a full face mask, or a type better than this
   • my favorite choice is irritant smoke, but it could also be saccharine, isoamyl acetate (banana), or Bitrex (R).
3. get trained. Learn how to:
   • clean it
   • store it
   • know what your respirator can’t protect you from
   • choose the right cartridges
   • know when you have break through
   • fit check (different than a fit test -BTW)

Wondering how often you must update the above steps? Go here. There are more steps to having a respiratory program, but you must do these things before you start.

People who work in industrial hygiene try NOT to admit fault. There are reasons;  legal implications, credibility, and of course, pride. Since this blog is about being transparent, I will confess I made a huge mistake. My mistake wasn’t disastrous, but it could have been.

Background:

Employees were using a hudson sprayer (pump style) to apply a liquid waterproofing material. Air monitoring was performed and found to be 50% of the OELs. However, given the environmental conditions, and different areas they would need to access, I recommended they wear 1/2 face respirators. The hazard was isopropyl alcohol and a 1/2 face respirator with organic vapor cartridges was sufficient, with goggles & protective clothing.

However. It wasn’t isopropyl alcohol….it was methyl alcohol (methanol). And, there is a HUGE difference. Organic vapor cartridges (filters) provide NO protection to methanol. I should have recommended supplied air respirators.

I feel terrible, and I apologized.

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time” – George Bernard Shaw

There are two types of fit testing, 1. quantitative and, 2. qualitative. For quantitative fit testing you’ll need a machine (ex. Portacount),  a respirator that will protect more than 50x the limits (>full face).  I will not cover this type of fit testing in this post, but it is very similar.

For qualitative fit testing you will need:

A medical clearance (not needed if you are wearing a paper dust mask) for each employee wearing a respirator.

Respirator w/P-100 filters (1/2 face respirator or more protective), aka HEPA filters, purple in color.

fit test kit -your choices are: saccharine, irritant smoke, Bitrex, or isoamyl acetate-bananas. Buy it online, or at your local safety supplier. Look at their instructions.

My preference is to use irritant smoke. The reasons are;

1.  if they cough, it means they smelled it.
2. it doesn’t require a containment to be built to perform the fit testing.

The employee must be clean shaven around where the mask touches the face.  I allow “short” goaties where the facial hair does not touch the mask. The fit test procedures are easy to follow and found inside the kit. There are 8-steps, do each one for about 1 minute each.

As you fill out each individual’s form, make sure you include:

• if the employee is clean shaven
• what type of respirator is being worn (size, brand, model)
• what type of filters are being worn
• what type of fit test kit you used

While you have the employee captive, you might as well give them some training. Here are some questions and/or points to note.

• did you train them on positive & negative fit checks?
• why are they wearing a respirator?
• what are the limitations of their respirator?
• how will they store the respirator?
• how will they sanitize it?
• will they share their respirator?

Finally, sign and date the form. It expires one year from this date. Simple? yes.  Easy to forget something? yes.