OSHA's revised Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134 and 29 CFR 1926.103) went into effect April 8, 1998. The final standard replaces the respiratory protection standards adopted by OSHA in 1971. Respiratory protection is addressed in standards specifically for the general, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, and construction industries. The respiratory protection standards for the shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.154), marine terminals (29 CFR 1917.92), longshoring (29 CFR 1918.102), and construction industries (29 CFR 1926.103) reference the respiratory protection standard for general industry (29 CFR 1910.134).
An estimated 5 million workers are required to wear respirators in 1.3 million workplaces throughout the United States. The general industry standard protects the health of employees from harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, and vapors.