Note on Respirator Fit
OSHA requires that all respirators be properly fit-tested using a quantitative or qualitative fit test when initially assigned to a user and periodically thereafter. In addition to fit-testing, your respirator manufacturer has recommended fit-checking procedures that should be followed by the user each time the respirator is worn.
F. RESPIRATORY PROTECTION FOR TUBERCULOSIS
The only respirators certified by NIOSH under Part 11 that meet CDC filtration efficiency performance criteria for protection against tuberculosis (TB) are those with HEPA filters. All nine classes of nonpowered, air-purifying, particulate-filter respirators certified under Part 84 meet or exceed the CDC filtration efficiency performance criteria [CDC 1994]. Several of the Part 84 particulate-filter respirators will be less expensive and more comfortable than Part 11 HEPA-filter respirators, and they are likely to be more readily accepted by health care facilities and workers.
Health care delivery settings are generally free of oil aerosols that would be degrading to filter efficiency. Therefore, N-, R-, or P-series respirators are appropriate for protection against TB in health care settings and other workplaces in which oil aerosols are absent; these respirators are subject to replacement as necessary by considerations of hygiene, damage, and breathing resistance.
Current OSHA policy permits the use of a Part 11 HEPA filter or any Part 84 particulate filter for protection against TB [Miles 1995]. Pending completion of a final TB standard, respiratory protection against TB will be regulated by OSHA under the current unrevised respirator standard [29 CFR 1910.134] and compliance policy directives.
For additional information about respiratory protection for exposure to TB, refer to Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities [CDC 1994] and Protect Yourself Against Tuberculosis—A Guide for Health Care Workers [NIOSH 1996].
