Regulatory Questions
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What is NIOSH and what do they do?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. Federal Agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injuries and illness. NIOSH is part of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is responsible for testing and certification of respirators including the 9 types of Filtering Facepiece Particulate Respirators (FFPR’s) under 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 84. NIOSH approvals are recognized in Canada and many other countries worldwide.
Currently, NIOSH certifies filtering facepiece respirators for filter efficiency ONLY. In a letter dated February 27, 2007, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) announced that NIOSH is “’Ķmoving forward on plans to develop Total Inward Leakage (TIL) testing as part of respirator certification.”
The Fitseal™ line of disposable respirators are the first and only strapless adhesion filtering facepiece respirators approved by NIOSH under 42 CFR Part 84 and have undergone additional testing as part of NIOSH certification. Fitseal has been successfully fit-tested by NIOSH in a corn oil atmosphere to test for inward leakage and the integrity of the respirator-to-face seal.
What is OSHA and what do they do?
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates and enforces health and safety regulations in places of work (occupations). OSHA requires that all respirators be properly fit-tested using a quantitative or qualitative fit test when initially assigned to a user and at specified intervals thereafter.
Do NIOSH approved respirators require CSA approval for use/sale in Canada?
No. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) does NOT certify or approve individual makes, styles or models of respirators for use or sale in Canada. The CSA accepts NIOSH certification or approval of respirators for use in the occupational setting.
Can NIOSH approved respirators be used by children?
No. Respirators are approved by NIOSH according to government performance standards for use by healthy adults who work in an occupational/workplace setting. Fitseal respirators have been designed for adult use only. There are no government performance standards today which specify criteria for designing or approving respirators for children.
