Respiratory Protection - Oil & Gas Extraction Workers

The best approach to protect the respiratory health of oil and gas extraction workers is always to eliminate the sources of respiratory hazards. When it is not possible to entirely eliminate a respiratory hazard, facilities must mandate that employees wear respirators. The employer of a site where the use of respirators is necessary must develop and implement a respiratory protection program that complies with OSHA's Respiratory Protection standard (29 CFR 1910.34). The requirements of the standard are as follows:

• Proper respirator selection to ensure that each worker is adequately protected in the specific task that he or she performs
• Fit testing to ensure that the respirator forms a tight seal on the worker's face to prevent leaks of toxic chemicals or dust into the worker's breathing zone
• Initial and regular medical evaluations of the worker's health to monitor the effects of exposure upon the worker
• Worker training to inform workers how to best protect their respiratory health

To learn more about Oil & Gas Extraction visit our Oil & Gas Extraction Safety Online Training web page.