Facepiece Seal Protection

Tight-fitting facepieces rely on maintaining a tight seal with the wearer's face at all times. Removing a respirator while in a hazardous atmosphere exposes a worker directly to that atmosphere. Respirators must therefore never be removed while in the presence of an atmospheric hazard. Employers and employees should always adhere to the following guidelines:

• Employees with any condition (including facial hair) that interferes with the face-to-facepiece seal or valve function may not use tight-fitting facepieces.
• If an employee wears glasses, protective goggles, or other personal protective equipment, the employer must ensure that this equipment does not interfere with the face-to-facepiece seal.
• For all tight-fitting respirators, the employer must ensure that employees perform a user seal check each time they put their respirators on.

To learn more about Respiratory Protection visit our Cal/OSHA Respiratory Protection Online Training web page.