Respirators - Employer Responsibility

Employers must provide employees performing Class I work with full-facepiece supplied air respirators operated in pressure-demand mode and equipped with an auxiliary positive-pressure, self-contained breathing apparatus when exposure levels exceed 1 fibers per cubic centimeter as an 8-hour time weighted average.

Employers must provide half-mask purifying respirators, other than disposable respirators, equipped with high efficiency filters for Class II and III asbestos jobs where work disturbs thermal system insulation or surfacing ACM or PACM.

If a particular job is not Class I, II, or III and exposures are above the permissible exposure limit or short-term exposure limit, the asbestos standard, 29 CFR Part 1926.1101, contains a table specifying types of respirators to use.

To learn more about Construction Asbestos Safety visit our Construction Asbestos Safety Online Training web page.