Lion.com will be offline for scheduled maintenance from 11 PM ET on Saturday, September 13, to 1 AM ET on Sunday, September 14.
Search

OSHA Issues Guidance Amid N95 Respirator Shortage

Posted on 4/6/2020 by Roger Marks

Amid a shortage of N95 facepiece filtering masks In an enforcement guidance memo directed to its officers, OSHA recommends that employers facing a shortage of N95 filtering facepiece respirators, or FFRs, do the following: 
  • Reassess engineering controls, work practices, and administrative controls to decrease the need for N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs); and/or 
  • Use alternative classes of NIOSH-approved respirators that provide equal or greater protection compared to the N95
The OSHA memo goes on to say that employers may consider extended use or re-use of N95 FFRs, but only when certain conditions are met.

Finally, use of expired N95 may be permitted when unavoidable. Use of expired N95s is permitted when the employer has made a “good faith effort” to acquire respirators, monitor and prioritize N95 use according to CDC guidance, and explore other feasible alternatives. 

Read OSHA’s full guidance here.

Read more: Coronavirus: Preventing Workplace Exposure 
 

What is An "N95 Mask"?

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) designated as N95 have been evaluated, tested, and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The "95" means these respirators are shown to block 95% or more of very small test particles. Test particles used are about 0.3 microns in size. For reference, filtration size for a typical coffee filter is around 20 microns.

These filtering facepiece respirators or FFRs are tight fitting, and a seal check is required each time the respirator is donned (i.e., put on). Ideally, these respirators would be discarded after each patient encounter or contact, or when they become damaged, deformed, dirty, wet, or contaminated with blood or fluids. If the respirator no longer forms an effective seal on the face, or if breathing becomes difficult, the N95 should be discarded (ideally). 

OSHA Safety Training On Demand

Lion’s expanded OSHA safety training course catalog includes training that may be required for healthcare personnel and other employees at risk of exposure to novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Browse all OSHA safety courses at Lion.com/OSHA.
 

Tags: coronavirus, healthcare, osha, respiratory protection, workplace safety

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

I chose Lion's online webinar because it is simple, effective, and easily accessible.

Jeremy Bost

Environmental Health & Safety Technician

Lion's information is very thorough and accurate. Presenter was very good.

Melissa Little

Regulatory Manager

The instructor made the class enjoyable. He presented in a very knowledgeable, personable manner. Best class I've ever attended. Will take one again.

John Nekoloff

Environmental Compliance Manager

I think LION does an excellent job of any training they do. Materials provided are very useful to my day-to-day work activities.

Pamela Embody

EHS Specialist

These are the best commercial course references I have seen (10+ years). Great job!

Ed Grzybowski

EHS & Facility Engineer

We have a very busy work schedule and using Lion enables us to take the course at our own time. It makes it easy for me to schedule my employees' training.

Timothy Mertes

Hazmat Shipping Professional

I have over 26 years of environmental compliance experience, and it has been some time since I have attended an environmental regulations workshop. I attended this course as preparation for EHS Audits for my six plants, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Frank Sizemore

Director of Regulatory Affairs

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

This is a very informative training compared to others. It covers everything I expect to learn and even a lot of new things.

Quatama Jackson

Waste Management Professional

Lion's online training is more comprehensive, has better slides, and is a superior training experience than what I would get from other trainers.

Robert Brenner

District Environmental Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Explore ten hazardous waste management errors that caused generators in California the most trouble last year.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.