The NIH has established a Respiratory Protection Program (RPP) in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). The RPP provides NIH-wide procedures for the proper selection, use, and care of respiratory protective equipment, and is overseen by the Office of Research Services (ORS), Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS). The RPP covers all NIH employees with the exception of those supporting clinical care in the NIH Clinical Center. The Clinical Center provides administrative management for respiratory protection of personnel working with pathogens of concern.
DOHS has multiple branches, two of which collaborate to facilitate the RPP: the Occupational Medical Service (OMS) and the Technical Assistance Branch (TAB). An RPP Manager is designated within TAB and assists the worksite manager with worksite evaluations, respirator selection, respirator training and respirator fit testing. OMS provides medical clearance to wear a respirator and enrolls employees in the Respiratory Protection Program.
Required Use of a Respirator
When a work area has been evaluated and determined that respirator use is required to protect NIH employees, those employees must be enrolled in the RPP. In this case, enrollment is required regardless of the type of respirator intended to be used. The National Institutes of Health must approve the respirator model chosen. Appropriate respirators are provided to employees by the NIH at no cost to the employee.
Enrollment in the RPP must occur before using a respirator or any PAPR systems.
Three steps are required before the new N95 respirator can enroll:
- Contact the OMS office that services your work site and ask to complete a respirator medical clearance questionnaire on the Cority, located at: https://orspcority1.ors.nih.gov/mycority/#/questionnaire/medicalpublicqrhstandaloneportal?questionnaireId=53
- OMS will review your completed questionnaire and may schedule a follow-up medical examination.
- For most respirator and PAPR users, only an initial clearance is needed. Once this step is complete, the next two steps will be coordinated through email notifications.
Note: If you already enrolled in the RPP, previously completed one of the trainings, and were fit-tested, this step is not required.
- Complete respiratory protection training according to the PPE required for use in your work area.
a. If you use the N95 respirator, please complete the Disposable N95 training course and quiz.
Click image(s) to view PAPR Maxair CARP System Training for Cority users
c. If you use the 3M Versaflo PAPR system, please complete the PAPR 3M Versaflo training course and quiz.
Click image(s) to view PAPR 3M Versaflo Training for Cority users
d. If you use two or all three types of respiratory protection, please complete all the above courses. Refresher training is required annually after completing the courses.
3. Complete respirator fit testing. Fit testing is required annually thereafter. Fit testing is unnecessary for loose-fitting facepiece respirators, such as Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs).
You will receive the link with the N95 fit test booking page after completing your N95 quiz.
For questions and additional information, email nihrespirator@mail.nih.gov.
Voluntary Use of a Respirator
Even when respirators are not required to be worn in a work area to protect employees, they can provide additional comfort and protection for employees. If an employee desires to wear a respirator on a voluntary basis, this must be discussed with their supervisor and the supervisor should request assistance from the RPP Manager if needed to determine that there are no airborne hazards that would require the use of a respirator.
Additionally, the use of the respirator itself must not present a health hazard to the wearer. To ensure this, some aspects of the RPP may need to be implemented, which will vary based on the type of respirator desired to be worn.
Attention! Employees cannot be enrolled in both programs simultaneously; they can only enroll in the Voluntary Use of a Respirator or the RPP.
The RPP team and OMS do not keep records for the Voluntary Respirator users.
A filtering facepiece respirator (dust mask) is the most common respirator chosen to be worn voluntarily. Wearing a NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece respirator (dust mask) is strongly recommended, and it will be labeled with a series of required markings. An "N95 respirator" is the most common particulate filtering facepiece respirator, which refers to the series (N; not resistant to oil) and the efficiency level (95; filters at least 95% of airborne particles). The performance of a dust mask which is not NIOSH-approved may vary, which is why they are not recommended for use, even voluntarily.
If after a discussion with the supervisor and the RPP Manager (if needed) and voluntary use of a filtering facepiece respirator (dust mask) has been permitted, employees must review the information contained in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134, (Mandatory) Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard (see link below to review this information).
(NIH credentials required)
It is important to note that surgical masks do not meet the definition of a respirator. Still, it may be considered for wear based on a hazard analysis of the employee's work environment. For instance, in the context of respiratory infection control, surgical masks may be worn to protect a user from splashes of large droplets of blood or body fluids, or by an infected person to trap large particles of body fluids expelled by the wearer.
Coincidentally, there are combination products that are NIOSH-approved respirators and have also been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration as a surgical mask. These products are respirators, and so Appendix D information shall be provided to the user prior to voluntary use.
Voluntary use of any other respirator besides a filtering facepiece (dust mask) (e.g., an elastomeric half-mask with cartridge filters, or a full-face respirator) will require additional program elements. Contact the RPP Manager for assistance in making voluntary respirator use decisions and completing relevant program element requirements associated with their use.
Additional Information
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding the RPP, please email nihrespirator@mail.nih.gov or call
(301) 496-2960 and ask for the RPP Manager.
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