Respiratory Protection Week and Resources to Mitigate Occupational Exposure Risks

Respiratory Protection Week takes place this year from September 5^th through the 8^th. The event has been promoted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the past five years. It is designed to promote proper respiratory protection practices for the millions of workers that are required to wear them while performing specific tasks.

Respiratory protection has always been a key component of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep individuals safe from airborne hazards in the workplace. Despite this fact, almost every year, respiratory protection is one of the ten most frequently cited safety and health violations reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Respirators protect workers in the following two basic ways:

1. 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.
2. 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.

“It’s best to prevent or limit exposure to airborne hazards whenever possible,” said Frank Selamie, President of CTSI. “However, there are still many circumstances where the use of a respirator is required to prevent serious injury or death in the workplace. These are all reasons why it is mandatory that employers adhere to OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standards.”

To help in these efforts, the industrial hygiene, infection control, and air quality experts at CTSI support the efforts of Respiratory Protection Week all year long. They offer consulting, training, testing, and monitoring services to companies and institutions. CTSI also provides respiratory mask fit testing, engineering control assessments, employee hazard communications, and compliance and management system audits. Last year, they sponsored an educational video about Respiratory Protection Week that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/S2bve-BXW78

To learn more about CTSI’s industrial hygiene, infection control, environmental, health, and safety services, please visit www.ctsiweb.com, email contactus@ctsiweb.com, or call (212) 971-7016.

About CTSI
Established in 1992, Consulting & Testing Services, Inc. (CTSI) was founded on one strong commitment: to provide efficient and expert services to clients based on professionalism, innovation, and cost-effective expert solutions. This commitment has been furthered with CTSI’s reputation in fostering client relationships in all sectors of the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Construction industries. CTSI prides itself in utilizing a high quality service based on its diverse team of staff and professionals’ concise recommendations and solutions to the most pressing dilemmas. The company operates offices in New York and Florida that service clients across the United States.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail