When your safety and your life depend on it, you need your equipment to fit properly. This is especially true in the workplace. Improper fit may prevent workers from performing their job duties safely and effectively.

Bullard’s SparxLift Welding Helmet is NIOSH approved for use as a Supplied Air Respirator (SAR) system. The SparxLift SAR system, offering six flow control options, provides respiratory protection and ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010 high impact face protection in a single package for welders and grinders.

Are all brands and models donned the same? No. Not all brands and models are donned (put on) the same way. That is why it is important that you always consult the manufacturer’s user instructions before putting on (donning) a new brand or model of respirator.

Even when respirator use is not required in certain situations, OSHA  and State OSHA agencies require employers to meet certain obligations for workers who voluntarily wear respirators on the job. Most workers who wear respirators use them because they are required to do so by their employer to protect them from airborne hazards.

Those who use a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) can run into problems with this life-saving device if it not properly maintained. “Correct inspection, cleaning, upkeep, and service procedures are all vital to ensure optimum SCBA operation,” writes Jaclyn Krah, MA, in a recent NIOSH Science Blog post.

The following describes the NIOSH policy for respiratory protection against airborne exposures to crystalline silica.

If you need to collect belongings or do basic clean up in your previously flooded home, you do not usually need to use a respirator (a mask worn to prevent breathing in harmful substances), according to recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Times when you may want to use a respirator are explained below.