DOE/EH-0495 --- Issue No. 95-6 --- 08/95

NIOSH Issues Modular Upgrades To Respirator Approval Requirements

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced that incremental upgrades will be made to existing NIOSH and Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration (DOL/MSHA) certification requirements for respiratory protective devices in a June 8, 1995, Federal Register, final rule notice. These upgrades will be issued through a series of modules. Using the modular approach, the improvements

  1. are implemented on a safety and health priority basis,
  2. help respirator manufacturers and users adapt to the new requirements, and
  3. speed the incorporation of technology advancements and response to emerging hazards.

Effective July 10, 1995, the final rule replaces MSHA regulations with new public health regulations and upgrades testing requirements for particulate filters. The new regulations incorporate most requirements from the existing regulations, except for the particulate filter requirements, without change.

Certification of air-purifying respirators under this rule allows respirator users to choose from a broader range of certified respirators that meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended performance criteria for respiratory devices used in health care environments against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the infectious agent that causes tuberculosis (TB).

For More Information

Need more information on the final rule? Contact

Richard Metzler (NIOSH)
1095 Willowdale Road
Morgantown, WV 26505-2888

at (304) 285-5907. To obtain copies of the final rule, call NIOSH at 1-800-35-NIOSH, option 5, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, eastern standard time; dial the NIOSH Home Page on World Wide Web at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html; download an electronic copy by dialing the Government Printing Office at (202) 512-1387 or DOL at (202) 219-4784.

This Safety & Health Note is one in a series of publications issued by EH to share occupational safety and health information throughout the DOE complex. To be added to the Distribution List or to obtain copies of the publication, call (301) 916-4444. For additional information regarding the publications, call Barbara Bowers at (301) 903-3016.

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Last modified: Monday June 02 2003

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