OSHA releases new respiratroy protection guidelines

OSHA has published a new guideline document, Assigned Protection Factors(APF), that provides employers with vital information for selecting respirators for workers exposed to contaminants in the air. The guidelines focus on mandatory respirator selection provisions added to the existing Respiratory Protection standard. OSHA revised this standard in 2006 to add APFs and Maximum Use Concentration (MUC) provisions.

APF refers to the level of respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is able to provide against particles, gases, or vapors.The higher the APF number (5 to 10,000), the greater the level of protection provided to the user.

MUC represents the limit at which the class of respirator is expected to provide protection. Whenever a hazard's exposure level exceeds MUC, a respirator with a higher APF should be selected.

You can access this new document at... http://www.osha.gov/Publications/3352-APF-respirators.pdf