Respiratory Protection Program. a. Risk Management Department b. Department Heads, Elected Officials and Supervisors c. Employees

Transcription

1 Respiratory Protection Program I. Purpose: II. Responsibilities: a. Risk Management Department b. Department Heads, Elected Officials and Supervisors c. Employees III. Medical Evaluation: IV. Selection and Use of Respiratory Equipment: a. Respirator Use b. Types of Respirators c. Identification of Respirator Cartridges d. Respirator Selection V. Respirator Training: VI. Respirator Fit Testing: a. Fit Checking b. Qualitative Fit Testing c. Quantitative Fit Testing d. Record Keeping VII. Maintenance and Cartridge Change out Schedule: VIII. Record Keeping 1

2 I. PURPOSE: It is the policy of Skagit County to provide employees with a safe and healthful environment. This is accomplished by utilizing facilities and equipment that have all feasible safeguards incorporated into their design. When effective engineering controls are not feasible, personal protection shall be used to ensure employee safety. The following Respiratory Protection Policy is to be implemented when the potential for airborne contaminates may exist and engineering or work practice controls do not eliminate the hazard. II. RESPONSIBILITIES: a. Risk Management Department It is the responsibility of the Risk Management Department to establish, implement and review annually a respiratory protection program consistent with the goal for protecting Skagit County Employees as well as adhering to all compliance regulations mandated by WISHA and the Department of Labor and Industries. The implemented program will ensure that respirators are properly selected, used and maintained by the employee using them. Risk Management is also responsible for evaluating that task for which respiratory protection is thought to be necessary, determine the potential exposure hazard and specify the respiratory device best suited for that task. In addition, Risk Management will train personnel on the use of respirators and ensure that proper quantitative or qualitative fit testing is preformed. b. Department Heads, Elected Officials and Supervisors It is the direct responsibility of the Department Head and Supervisor of the department to ensure that each employee under his or her direction using a respirator has received appropriate training in its use and that a medical evaluation is preformed prior to the use of a respirator. In addition, they shall ensure the availability of appropriate respirators and encourage proper respirator maintenance and storage. Skagit County Board of Commissioners has the ultimate responsibility for enforcement of this program. 2

3 c. Employees It is the responsibility of each employee who will wear a respirator to wear his/her respirator when and where required and in the manner for which they were trained. Respirator wearers must report any malfunctions of the respirator immediately to their Supervisor. They must also clean and store their respirator as instructed. III. Medical Evaluation: An employee who is required to wear a respirator must undergo a Medical Evaluation to determine whether or not they can wear a respirator without physical or psychological risk. The Skagit County Health Officer or the employees personal physician will make this determination. Once the determination is made the Risk Management Department will be notified if any restrictions are applicable. As required in WAC thru as it pertains to frequency of medical evaluations, certain positions may require an annual medical evaluation as mandated in the standard. IV. Selection and Use Respirator Equipment: a. Respirator Use Respirator use is authorized for the following personnel: 1. Workers in areas known to have contamination levels requiring the use of respirator protection. 2. Workers performing operations documented to be hazardous where there is the possibility of airborne contamination. b. Types of Respirators Skagit County Risk Management approves the following types of respirators for use as determined by the hazard assessment and chosen specifically for that task which they are deemed necessary. 1. Air Purifying Respirators respirators that remove air contaminates by the use of a canister, cartridge or filter specific to the contaminate present. 2. Supplied-Air Respirators respirators that provide breathing air independent of the environment by a flow of air through the facepiece. These respirators are not to include SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) 3

4 c. Identification of Respirator Cartridges Respirator cartridges are specifically color coded and labeled to identify the protection that they provide. When an assessment is made by the Risk Management Department for the need to use a respirator, a determination will be made on the cartridge that will give the maximum amount of protection for the contaminate present for use in the respirator. d. Respirator Selection Selection of the proper respirator will be made only after a determination has been made as to the real and/or potential exposure of County employees to harmful concentrations of contaminates during a specific duty or job task. V. Respirator Training: Skagit County employees who will wear respirators and their Supervisors will receive training on the following: a. The potential hazard requiring a respirator b. Respirator selection based on the hazard and any limitations that may be applicable for the type of respirator selected. c. Donning a respirator and hands on practice. d. Care and maintenance of the respirator. e. A review of the written respirator program. VI. Respirator Fit Testing: A fit test will be used to determine the ability of each individual respirator user to obtain a satisfactory fit. A qualitative or quantitative test will be preformed. The employee must pass the fit test before a respirator is issued and they are permitted to perform the job task requiring a respirator. VII. Maintenance and Cartridge Change out Schedule: All respirators used by Skagit County Employees shall be cleaned and sanitized routinely and preferably after each use. Cartridges shall be replaced after each days use. Respirators with worn or deteriorated parts will be replaced prior to their next use. No parts may be substituted or modifications made to the respirator that will invalidate the approval of the respirator. 4

5 IX. Record Keeping: Respirator training and fit testing will be documented and a record of the training received, date, test results and instructor/tester will be maintained by the Risk Management Department and a copy forwarded to the Department Head/Supervisor of the respirator wearer. 5