OSHA Top 10 – Respiratory Protection: What Restorers Need to Know

What happened

Rice has supported EHS efforts in various industries, including environmental restoration, heavy industrial manufacturing, mechanical field service, automotive and aircraft manufacturing support, residential and commercial construction, and disaster restoration. Use the SDS, OSHA and EPA guidance, industry standards, respirator manufacturer recommendations and Industrial Hygienists to make an informed decision about what protections to implement in order to comply with safety regulations. OSHA requires additional medical evaluations under certain circumstances, such as when an employee reports symptoms related to respirator use; however, I recommend being conservative and get evaluations annually with fit testing.

Key details

• Use the SDS, OSHA and EPA guidance, industry standards, respirator manufacturer recommendations and Industrial Hygienists to make an informed decision about what protections to implement in order to comply with safety regulations.
• OSHA requires additional medical evaluations under certain circumstances, such as when an employee reports symptoms related to respirator use; however, I recommend being conservative and get evaluations annually with fit testing.
• I’ve previously identified my concerns with Assigned Protection Factors and Maximum Use Concentrations being a gray area for the Restoration Industry, particularly when actual airborne concentrations haven’t been measured 3 .

Why it matters to restoration

This belongs on an operator’s radar because insurance behavior sets the rules for documentation, scope disputes, cash flow and customer expectations. If the article points to a carrier, court or coverage trend, the practical question is what proof your next file needs before the argument starts.

What to check next

Check whether your estimates, photos, notes and customer updates would survive the same dispute described in the article.

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