Do I need an N95 Respirator? Your Questions answered
Many individuals are aware that their jobs require certain personal protective equipment (PPE). Whether you're a welder or a worker at a distribution center, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which governs the safety of workers in almost every industry, likely has issued standards to your manager that they have to adhere to.
One of these standards determines whether or not you need to wear a respirator while at work. According to OSHA's website, there are 5 million workers across the country that should usethese protective devices.
Generally speaking, you should be wearing a respirator if you work in an environment where there are low levels of oxygen, hazardous airborne chemicals or other dangerous particles, like sawdust, in the air. You should contact OSHA if you believe that your workplace meets this standard but does not have a respirator policy in place. The agency also has a downloadable PDF for small business owners that reviews the standards and offers tools for managers to evaluate their own workplaces for hazards.
The most common type of these masks is known as an N95 respirator. They are considered by health agencies to reduce the amount of contaminants in the air by 95 percent, hence the name. They do not, however, protect the wearer from oil particulate or potential airborne illnesses. For those who work in the medical field, the FDA has cleared some N95 respirators as surgical masks, which means that they can be used in both industrial and hospital scenarios.
Beyond the N95 standard, there are additional respirators that can be used for workplaces with higher concentrations of chemicals or other airborne hazards. We'll discuss some of these later this week.