Conducting a respiratory exposure assessment and utilizing the results to design an effective respiratory protection plan for a construction crew is a science. It can seem like a complicated science when you factor in everything that goes into developing and creating a respiratory protection plan: initial review of potential hazards, measurements, evaluation of those measurements, selection of controls, their implementation and assessment of their effectiveness, and other factors.
Despite the perceived complexity, every site should evaluate the respiratory protection needs of their crew. To make this process easier, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has published a five-part cyclic process to help guide an exposure assessment1.