Respiratory Protection
It is the intention of Dartmouth College to provide a safe, healthful environment for all work activities, research and learning. This program is designed to provide information and requirements regarding respiratory protection to achieve that goal.
About the Program
The use of respiratory protection at Dartmouth is largely directed by the requirements contained in OSHA regulations, specifically 29 CFR 1910.134. A component of this regulation is the concept of achieving exposure control through the determination and implementation of engineering controls whenever feasible. When such controls are not feasible to achieve adequate exposure control, personal protective equipment and/or other protective measures must be used.
A respirator is any device intended to protect the user from airborne contaminants and/or oxygen-deficient environments. The selection and proper usage of respiratory protection is a critical component of the desired result of exposure control. Significant amounts of information must be known about the contaminants, and the environment in which respirators will be utilized to provide adequate protection.
Some of this information includes:
- General use conditions, including determination of contaminant(s)
- Physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of the contaminant(s)
- Odor threshold data
- The smallest of the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) and Threshold Limit Value (TLV) exposure limits
- Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) concentration: No Dartmouth employee should ever enter an atmosphere that is known to be IDLH. If an atmosphere becomes IDLH after entrance, it must be evacuated immediately and not re-entered until the IDLH atmosphere is no longer present.
- Eye and skin irritation potential
- Any service life information available (for cartridges and canisters)
All Dartmouth employees who wear a respirator, either due to institute policy or by personal choice (see Non-Mandatory use section), must do so in accordance with this program and must inform Environmental Health and Safety of their activities.
Respiratory Protection Program
Obtaining a Respirator
In order to wear a respirator, please contact us with your name, phone number, and a description of the process requiring the use of a respirator. EHS will review your request and determine if a respirator is necessary, and which type is appropriate. We may contact you for more information. If approved, you will be directed to the applicable link below.
Please submit requests as soon as possible, as lead times to complete the process are at minimum 5 business days.