Section 296-307-59805. Make sure voluntary use of respirators is safe.

Definition:

Voluntary use is respirator use that is requested by the employee AND permitted by the employer when NO respiratory hazard exists.

IMPORTANT: If you choose to require respirator use, use is NOT voluntary and the required use sections of this part apply.

You must:

(1) Make sure voluntary respirator use does NOT:

• Interfere with an employee's ability to work safely, such as restricting necessary vision or radio communication

OR

• Create health hazards.

Note:	Examples of health hazards include:
	• Skin irritation, dermatitis, or other health effects caused by using a dirty respirator
	• Illness created by sharing contaminated respirators
	• Health effects caused by use of an unsafe air supply, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

You must:

(2) Provide all voluntary respirator users with the advisory information in Table 2 at no cost to them.

Note:	If you have provided employees with the advisory information required in the previous section, WAC 296-307-598, you do not need to provide the additional information in Table 2 to those employees.

You must:

(3) Develop and maintain a written program that includes the following:

• Medical evaluation provisions as specified in WAC 296-307-604.

• Procedures to properly clean and disinfect respirators, according to WAC 296-307-62015, if they are reused.

• How to properly store respirators, according to WAC 296-307-61010, so that using them does not create hazards.

• Procedures to make sure there is a safe air supply, according to WAC 296-307-616, when using air-line respirators and SCBAs.

• Training according to WAC 296-307-608 when necessary to ensure respirator use does NOT create a hazard.

Note:	• Pay for medical evaluations, training, travel related costs, and wages. You do NOT need to pay for respirators employees use only voluntarily.
	• If you have both voluntary and required respirator users, you may choose to treat voluntary users as required users. Doing this exceeds the requirements in this section.

Exemption:	If employees use only filtering-facepiece respirators and do so only voluntarily, you do not need to develop and maintain a written program.

Use Table 2 to provide information to employees who voluntarily use any type of respirator.

Table 2

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 05-01-166, § 296-307-59805, filed 12/21/04, effective 4/2/05.]

RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 05-01-166, § 296-307-59805, filed 12/21/04, effective 4/2/05.

Rules

296-307-598,296-307-604,296-307-62015,296-307-61010,296-307-616,296-307-608,