Respirators and Health and Safety Plans

A safe workplace does more than save lives and improve the health of workers. It also improves morale, which leads to increased performance and higher productivity.

OSHA believes that the key to such a productive work environment is a comprehensive safety and health management system. A respiratory program can be part of this larger, more comprehensive Safety and Health Plan. A Safety and Health Plan focuses on four major components: management leadership and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training.

OSHA encourages states to develop and operate their own job safety and health plans. (Currently, 26 states and territories have their own plans.) In some states, such a program may even be required: Check your state's OSHA guidelines to see if your state has its own State Plan and its own requirements, which may be stricter than OSHA's.

On its website, OSHA provides an electronic compliance assistance tool (called eTools) that helps organizations develop a comprehensive safety and health program. The eTools are posted at www.osha.gov.

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