This guide is intended to assist employers in developing a Respiratory Protection Program, as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This applies to employers who provide or require respirators to control employee exposure to air contaminants generated by processes and operations at the worksite. The kit contains explanations of what is required in the OSHA respirator standards. The overview and guidelines section contains a general description of the employer's responsibilities. The remainder of this kit contains step-by-step guidelines for setting up and implementing a Respirator Program.

The Respirator Standard is intended to protect workers from airborne contaminants in emergencies, or when engineering controls either fail or are inadequate to prevent harmful exposure to employees. A copy of the rules for General Industry and Construction are included in 29 CFR 1910.134. This kit provides guidance on the step-by-step requirements for developing a program that tracks with these standards.

Specifically, the kit identifies the components of a Respiratory Protection Program. It explains how to identify employees who need to be included in the program, respirator selection and maintenance, fit testing and training. The kit also provides references and resources to assist employers in obtaining additional information on the respiratory protection standards. This kit can be expanded by the employer to meet individual needs, including company respiratory protection and training programs, air sampling records, fit testing records, training or other records.

This program kit is informational only and was compiled from sources believed to be reliable. Zurich Services Corporation - Risk Engineering makes no guarantee of results and assumes no liability in connection with the information, methods or safety suggestions contained herein. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that every acceptable safety or compliance procedure is contained herein or that abnormal or unusual circumstances may not warrant or require additional procedures.