Respiratory Protection for Emergency Situations

Employers should not just consider daily operations when selecting respiratory protection. Emergency situations may pose new hazards, and these situations may require additional respiratory protection.

OSHA's webpage on PPE for Emergency Response and Recovery Workers suggests that employers consider NIOSH-approved respiratory protection for chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) exposures. OSHA notes that if it is not possible to get NIOSH-approved CBRN-specific respirators, managers or employers have the option of providing alternative respirators. However, these respirators (and all others used on the job) must also be NIOSH-approved.

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