The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a new guidance document on its respiratory protection standard. The document, Assigned Protection Factors for the Revised Respiratory Protection Standard, (pdf) provides employers with information for selecting respirators for employees exposed to airborne contaminants.

The Respiratory Protection standard applies to general industry, construction, longshoring, shipyard and marine terminal workplaces, and governs fit testing, medical evaluations, specific training and proper respirator use.

OSHA revised its existing Respiratory Protection standard in 2006 to add Assigned Protection Factors (APF) and Maximum Use Concentration (MUC) provisions. The APF is the workplace level of respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is able to provide to workers. Employers use APF numbers to select the appropriate class of respirators to provide the necessary level of protection against airborne contaminants. According to OSHA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Donald G. Shalhoub: “proper respirator selection prevents exposure to hazardous contaminants and is an important component of an effective respiratory protection program. . . . This guidance document serves as another useful resource for protecting the health and safety of workers at risk for respiratory illnesses.”