SHA's revised respiratory protection standard (CFR 1910.134), published Jan. 8, 1998, in the Federal Register, sets out to cure many of the ills of its predecessor. Out-of-date and confusing, the earlier standard often fell short of affording adequate worker protection because it was not clearly understood by the regulated community. With its revised standard, therefore, the agency's goal is to create regulatory consistency and clarify the standard's requirements through specific and detailed methodology and procedures. But, therein lies the rub.
Compliance with this new and revised version of the standard requires a careful study of the specifics, some of which are probably already in place if you have a good program, while some may pose a challenge.