Respiratory Protection

Many work and instructional activities at Oakland Community College may involve exposure by employees to potentially hazardous atmospheres resulting from laboratory chemical reactions, chemical spills or leaks, or as a by-product of welding or grinding operations, among other things. These potentially hazardous atmospheres must be controlled to protect employee health. Airborne contaminants will be controlled by using, in order of preference, engineering controls, administrative controls, and/or respiratory protective devices (respirators). These controls may be used individually, or in combination.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established regulations governing the use of respirators in the workplace. These regulations can be found in 29 CFR 1910.134, et al.

The employees with the following job titles have specific responsibilities within the program, or supervise those with specific responsibilities within this program, and therefore should become familiar with its contents:

• Director of Physical Facilities
• Director of Public Safety
• Manager of Environmental Health and Safety
• Dean (Natural Science, Chemistry, Emergency Services, Automotive, Art, Photography, Dental, Medical)
• Paraprofessional (Natural Science, Chemistry, Emergency Services, Automotive, Art, Photography, Dental, Medical)
• Faculty (Natural Science, Chemistry, Emergency Services, Automotive, Art, Photography, Dental, Medical)
• Adjunct Faculty (Natural Science, Chemistry, Emergency Services, Automotive, Art, Photography, Dental, Medical)
• Chief Engineer
• Superintendent
• Public Safety Sergeant
• Public Safety Officer
• Groundskeeper
• Maintenance
• Custodian

The Respiratory Protection Program provides guidelines in:

• The identification of potential airborne hazards
• Protective measures appropriate to airborne hazards
• Medical evaluations
• The selection, use, inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and storage of respirators
• Fit testing of respirators
• Non-mandatory respirator use by employees
• Employee training

The following table can be used as a quick reference to determine which elements of the OCC Respiratory Protection Program apply to employees who must use respirators due to workplace hazards (mandatory), and employees who voluntarily use respirators for comfort or protection (non-mandatory).  “Non-Mandatory” for employees refers to the fact that their work area does not contain levels of air contaminants that require the use of a respirator per the regulations, but a respirator is still worn.  A “Yes” indicates that the program element is required by the applicable regulations for that employee.  A “No” indicates that the program element is not required under the regulations. Although a program element may not be required under the regulations, supervisors are encouraged to provide additional training and guidance to employees on the safe use of respirators.

	Medical Evaluation	Mandatory Respirator Training	Pre-Use Instruction (o/t Training)	Fit Testing	Non-Mandatory Instruction Sheet/ Sign-Off	Respirator Must Be Supplied By OCC
Employee (Mandatory)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Employee (Non-Mandatory)	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No

This program is intended to address the respiratory protection of Oakland Community College employees only, and is not intended to be applied directly to protecting students from respiratory hazards. The Oakland Community College Student Environmental Health and Safety Handbook (pending) addresses student respiratory protection.

OCC Links

Respiratory Protection Program (PDF document)

Respiratory Protection Training Module (MS PowerPoint)

External Links

OSHA Respiratory Protection Site

MIOSHA Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (PDF document)
(includes respiratory protection)