Respiratory Protection Week and Resources to Safeguard Workers from Airborne Hazards

For the past five years, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has promoted Respiratory Protection Week. For 2023, the event takes place from September 5^th through the 8^th.

According to the NIOSH, respiratory protection has always been a key component of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep individuals safe from workplace airborne hazards. This has been especially true in recent times due to the pandemic. Today, more people than ever are aware of just how important the proper use of respirators can be for the health and safety of workers, especially N95 respirators for those in the healthcare industry.

“Millions of workers in a wide range of occupations are required to wear respirators while performing various tasks,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Respirators protect the user in two basic ways. The first is by the removal of contaminants from the air. Respirators of this type include particulate respirators, which filter out airborne particles, and air-purifying respirators with cartridges/canisters which filter out chemicals and gases. Other respirators protect by supplying clean respirable air from another source. Respirators that fall into this category include airline respirators, which use compressed air from a remote source, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which include their own air supply.”

Employer adherence to OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standards is mandatory. Compliance with these regulations can greatly reduce the risk of atmospheric threats to employees. To help keep companies and institutions in compliance with respiratory protection regulations, CSC’s industrial hygiene and air quality professionals offer consulting, testing and training services. Respiratory mask fit testing, assessing engineering controls, employee hazard communications, and compliance and management system audits from CSC also serve to create a safer work environment.

Last year, CSC sponsored an educational video about Respiratory Protection Week that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/S2bve-BXW78

To learn more about this or other occupational, environmental, indoor air quality, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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