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654 Lead Safety in General Industry
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654 Lead Safety in General Industry

Training

The employer must to provide effective respiratory protection training to employees who are required to use respirators. The training must be comprehensive, understandable, and recur annually, and more often if necessary. Training must be provided prior to requiring the employee to use a respirator in the workplace.

respirator training
Education includes instruction, training, and evaluation.

Initial Training

The employer has to give the necessary information about respirators to employees who wear them, even if they're not required to by the rules or their employer. This information can be found in 1910.134, Appendix D.

Topics to include in respirator training include:

  1. The employer shall ensure that each employee can demonstrate knowledge of at least the following:
  2. Why the respirator is necessary and how improper fit, usage, or maintenance can compromise the protective effect of the respirator;
  3. What the limitations and capabilities of the respirator are; (iii) How to use the respirator effectively in emergency situations, including situations in which the respirator malfunctions;
  4. How to inspect, put on and remove, use, and check the seals of the respirator;
  5. What the procedures are for maintenance and storage of the respirator;
  6. How to recognize medical signs and symptoms that may limit or prevent the effective use of respirators; and
  7. The general requirements of this section.

Retraining

Retraining must be administered annually and when the following situations occur:

  1. Changes in the workplace or the type of respirator render previous training obsolete;
  2. Inadequacies in the employee's knowledge or use of the respirator indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill; or
  3. Any other situation arises in which retraining appears necessary to ensure safe respirator use.

For more information on OSHA training requirements see OSHA Pub 2254, Training Requirements in OSHA Standards, and OSHAcademy course 703 Introduction to OSH Training.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

3-8. The employer must provide respirator retraining _____.

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