Although we talk about a company’s bottom line as the reason to implement engineering controls to reduce or eliminate respiratory hazards in the workplace, that doesn’t mean most organizations put profit above worker safety. In fact, plant managers and safety professionals working within an industrial environment have a vested interest in protecting their own health alongside their co-workers. Quantifying the benefits of reducing or eliminating hazards when implementing engineering controls help organizations weigh which technologies provide the highest safety controls in the most cost-effective manner. 

OSHA’s respiratory standard 1910.134 (a)(1) states the primary objective to control respiratory disease is to “prevent atmospheric contamination” of harmful dusts. Only “when effective engineering controls are not feasible,” are respirators mandated as the control.