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The following definitions are important terms
used in the respiratory protection standard and terms that will assist in the
understanding and the application of the NIOSH decision logic.
Air-Purifying Respirator: A respirator with an
air-purifying filter, cartridge, or canister that removes specific air contaminants by
passing ambient air through the air-purifying element. OSHA Definition
Assigned Protection Factor (APF):
See PROTECTION FACTOR. NIOSH Definition
Assigned Protection Factor (APF): [Reserved] OSHA
Definition
Atmosphere-Supplying Respirator: A respirator that supplies
the respirator user with breathing air from a source independent of the ambient
atmosphere, and includes supplied-air respirators (SARs) and self-contained breathing
apparatus (SCBA) units. OSHA Definition
Breakthrough: The penetration of challenge
material(s) through a gas or a vapor air-purifying element. The quantity or extent
of breakthrough during service life testing is often referred to as the percentage of the
input concentration. NIOSH Definition
Canister or Cartridge: A container with a filter,
sorbent, or catalyst, or combination of these items, which removes specific contaminants
from the air passed through the container. OSHA Definition
Demand Respirator: An atmosphere-supplying respirator
that admits breathing air to the facepiece only when a negative pressure is created inside
the facepiece by inhalation. OSHA Definition
Disposable Respirators: A respirator that is
discarded after the end of its recommended period of use, after excessive resistance or
physical damage, or when odor breakthrough or other warning indicators render the
respirator unsuitable for further use. NIOSH Definition
Dust: A solid, mechanically produced particle with a size
ranging from submicroscopic to macroscopic. NIOSH Definition
Emergency Respirator Use Situation:
A situation that
requires the use of respirators due to the unplanned generation of a hazardous atmosphere
(often of unknown composition) caused by an accident, mechanical failure, or other means
and that requires evacuation of personnel or immediate entry for rescue or corrective
action. NIOSH Definition
Emergency Situation:
Any occurrence such as,
but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control
equipment that may or does result in an uncontrolled significant release of an airborne
contaminant. OSHA Definition
Employee Exposure:
Exposure to a concentration
of an airborne contaminant that would occur if the employee were not using respiratory
protection. OSHA Definition
End-Of-Service-Life Indicator (ESLI):
A system that warns
the respirator user of the approach of the end of adequate respiratory protection; for
example, that the sorbent is approaching saturation or is no longer effective. OSHA
Definition
Escape Gas Mask: A gas mask that consists of a
half-mask facepiece or mouthpiece, a canister, and associated connections, and that is
designed for use during escape-only from hazardous atmospheres. NIOSH Definition
Escape Only Respirator: Respiratory devices that are
designed for use only during escape from hazardous atmospheres. NIOSH Definition
Escape-Only Respirator: A respirator intended to be
used only for emergency exit. OSHA Definition
Filter or Air-Purifying Element:
A component used
in respirators to remove solid or liquid aerosols from the inspired air. OSHA
Definition
Filtering Facepiece: A particulate respirator with a
filter as an integral part of the facepiece or with the entire facepiece composed of the
filtering medium. (See SINGLE-USE DUST or DUST
and MIST RESPIRATORS and DISPOSABLE RESPIRATORS.) NIOSH
Definition
Filtering Facepiece (Dust Mask):
A negative pressure
particulate respirator with a filter as an integral part of the facepiece or with the
entire facepiece composed of the filtering medium. OSHA Definition
Fit Factor: A quantitative measure of the fit of a
specific respirator facepiece to a particular individual. NIOSH Definition
Fit Factor: A quantitative estimate of the fit of
a particular respirator to a specific individual, and typically estimates the ratio of the
concentration of a substance in ambient air to its concentration inside the respirator
when worn. OSHA Definition
Fit
Test: Means the use of a protocol to qualitatively or quantitatively
evaluate the fit of a respirator on an individual. (See also Qualitative fit test QLFT and
Quantitative fit test QNFT.) OSHA Definition
Fume:
A solid condensation particulate, usually of
a vaporized metal. NIOSH Definition
Gas: An aeriform fluid that is in a gaseous state at standard temperature and pressure.
NIOSH Definition
Helmet: A rigid respiratory inlet covering that also
provides head protection against impact and penetration. OSHA Definition
High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter:
A filter
that is at least 99.97% efficient in removing monodisperse particles of 0.3 micrometers in
diameter. The equivalent NIOSH 42 CFR 84 particulate filters are the N100, R100, and P100
filters. OSHA Definition
Hood: Means a respiratory inlet covering that completely
covers the head and neck and may also cover portions of the shoulders and torso.
OSHA
Definition
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH):
Acute
respiratory exposure that poses an immediate threat of loss of life, immediate or delayed
irreversible adverse effects on health, or acute eye exposure that would prevent escape
from a hazardous atmosphere. NIOSH Definition
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH):
An
atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health
effects, or would impair an individual's ability to escape from a dangerous
atmosphere. OSHA Definition
Interior Structural Firefighting:
The physical
activity of fire suppression, rescue or both, inside of buildings or enclosed structures
which are involved in a fire situation beyond the incipient stage. (See 29 CFR
1910.155) OSHA Definition
Loose-Fitting Facepiece:
A respiratory
inlet covering that is designed to form a partial seal with the face. OSHA Definition
Maximum Use Concentration (MUC):
[Reserved] OSHA
Definition
Mist: A liquid condensation particulate. NIOSH
Definition
Negative Pressure Respirator (Tight Fitting):
A
respirator in which the air pressure inside the facepiece is negative during inhalation
with respect to the ambient air pressure outside the respirator. OSHA Definition
Orinasal Respirator:
A respirator that covers
the nose and mouth and that generally consists of a quarter- or half-facepiece.
NIOSH
Definition
Oxygen Deficient Atmosphere:
An atmosphere with
an oxygen content below 19.5% by volume. OSHA Definition
Physician
or Other Licensed Health Care Professional (PLHCP):
Means an individual whose legally permitted scope of practice (i.e., license,
registration, or certification) allows him or her to independently provide, or be
delegated the responsibility to provide, some or all of the health care services required
by paragraph (e) of this section. OSHA Definition
Planned or Unplanned Entry into an IDLH Environment, an Environment of
Unknown Concentration of Hazardous Contaminant, or an Environment of Unknown Composition:
A situation in which respiratory devices are recommended to provide adequate
protection to workers entering an area where the contaminant concentration is above the
IDLH or is unknown. NIOSH Definition
Positive Pressure Respirator:
A respirator in which the
pressure inside the respiratory inlet covering exceeds the ambient air pressure outside
the respirator. OSHA Definition
Potential Occupational Carcinogen:
Any
substance, or combination or mixture of substances, which causes an increased incidence of
benign and/or malignant neoplasms, or a substantial decrease in the latency period between
exposure and onset of neoplasms in humans or in one or more experimental mammalian species
as the result of any oral, respiratory, or dermal exposure, or any other exposure which
results in the induction of tumors at a site other than the site of administration.
This definition also includes any substance that is metabolized into one or more potential
occupational carcinogens by mammals (29 CFR 1990.103, OSHA Cancer Policy). NIOSH
Definition
Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR): An air-purifying
respirator that uses a blower to force the ambient air through air-purifying elements to
the inlet covering. OSHA Definition
Pressure Demand Respirator:
A positive
pressure atmosphere- supplying respirator that admits breathing air to the facepiece when
the positive pressure is reduced inside the facepiece by inhalation. OSHA
Definition
Protection Factors:
NIOSH Definition
Assigned Protection Factor (APF): The minimum
anticipated protection provided by a properly functioning respirator or class of
respirators to a given percentage of properly fitted and trained users.
Simulated Workplace Protection Factor (SWPF):
A surrogate
measure of the workplace protection provided by a respirator.
Workplace Protection Factor (WPF):
A measure of the
protection provided in the workplace by a properly functioning respirator when correctly
worn and used.
Qualitative
Fit Test (QLFT): A pass/fail fit test to assess the
adequacy of respirator fit that relies on the individual's response to the test
agent. OSHA Definition
Quantitative Fit Test (QNFT): Means an assessment of the
adequacy of respirator fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the
respirator. OSHA Definition
Recommended Exposure Limit (REL):
An 8- or 10-hour
time-weighted average (TWA) or ceiling (C) exposure concentration recommended by NIOSH
that is based on an evaluation of the health effects data. NIOSH Definition
Respiratory Inlet Covering: The portion of a
respirator that forms the protective barrier between the user's respiratory tract and an
air-purifying device or breathing air source, or both. It may be a facepiece, a helmet, a
hood, a suit, or a mouthpiece respirator with nose clamp. OSHA Definition
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): An
atmosphere-supplying respirator for which the breathing air source is designed to be
carried by the user. OSHA Definition
Service Life: The length of time required for an
air-purifying element to reach a specific effluent concentration. Service life is
determined by the type of substance being removed, the concentration of the substance, the
ambient temperature, the specific element being tested (cartridge or canister), the flow
rate resistance, and the selected breakthrough value. The service life for a
self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is the period of time, as determined by the
NIOSH certification tests, in which adequate breathing gas is supplied. NIOSH
Definition
Service Life: The period of time that a
respirator, filter or sorbent, or other respiratory equipment provides adequate protection
to the wearer. OSHA Definition
Single-Use Dust or Dust and Mist Respirators:
Respirators approved for use against dusts or mists that may cause pneumoconiosis and
fibrosis. NIOSH Definition
Supplied-Air Respirator (SAR) or Airline Respirator:
An
atmosphere-supplying respirator for which the source of breathing air is not designed to
be carried by the user. OSHA Definition
This Section: This respiratory protection
standard. OSHA Definition
Tight-Fitting Facepiece:
A respiratory inlet
covering that forms a complete seal with the face. OSHA Definition
User Seal Check: An action conducted by the
respirator user to determine if the respirator is properly seated to the face. OSHA
Definition
Vapor: The gaseous state of a substance that is solid or
liquid at temperatures and pressures normally encountered. NIOSH Definition
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