OSHA Proposes Changes to Respiratory Protection Rules

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By Guy Burdick

On July 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took significant steps at deregulation by proposing changes to medical evaluation requirements in the respiratory protection standard.

It also proposed changes to several toxic and hazardous substances standards to allow different types of respirators, remove provisions that duplicate requirements of the respiratory protection standard, or better align the standards with the respiratory protection standard.

OSHA proposed removing medical evaluation requirements in the respiratory protection standard for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) (90 Fed. Reg. 28463). Before an employer can allow an employee to use a respirator, the worker must see a physician or another licensed healthcare professional to determine whether the worker can tolerate the physiological burden of using a respirator.

OSHA has concluded that different types of respirators have differing levels of physiological burdens. It contends that many workers already use FFRs and loose-fitting PAPRs without medical evaluations. It also noted a surge in respirator use during the COVID-19 pandemic, often without medical evaluation. No evidence emerged of impairment that could have been avoided by a medical evaluation.

Comments are due September 2.

OSHA proposed revisions to the requirements of the following toxic and hazardous substances standards:

  • 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28316).
  • 1,3-Butadiene, revising substance-specific respirator requirements to allow the use of different types of respirators and better aligning the standard with requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28302).
  • 13 carcinogens, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28312).
  • Acrylonitrile, revising provisions of the standard to better align it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28291).
  • Asbestos, allowing the use of different types of respirators under the standard and better aligning it with the requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28295).
  • Benzene, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28321).
  • Cadmium, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28330).
  • Coke oven emissions, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28354).
  • Cotton dust, allowing the use of different types of respirators under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28349).
  • Ethylene oxide, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28307).
  • Formaldehyde, eliminating duplicative respiratory protection requirements and better aligning the standard with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28286).
  • Inorganic arsenic, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the requirements of the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28267).
  • Lead, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28277)
  • Methylene chloride, allowing the use of different types of respirators under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28272).
  • Methylenedianiline, allowing different types of respirators to be used under the standard and better aligning it with the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28325).
  • Vinyl chloride, removing language duplicating requirements contained in the respiratory protection standard (90 Fed. Reg. 28263).

Comments on proposed changes to the toxic and hazardous substances standards are also due September 2.