OSHA’s respiratory protection standard 1910.0134 was the fourth most-frequently cited rule in fiscal year 2014, a ranking which reflects the importance of respirators among the types of protective equipment for workers who must perform tasks in hazardous environments.
The standard requires engineering control measures as the first line of defense in preventing harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors from entering the workplace atmosphere. But “when effective engineering controls are not feasible, or while they are being instituted, appropriate respirators shall be used.”1