6 Colo. Code Regs. § 1007-1-4.24

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, June 10, 2024

Section 6 CCR 1007-1-4.24 - Use of Individual Respiratory Protection Equipment

4.24.1 If the licensee uses respiratory protection equipment to limit intakes pursuant to 4.23:

4.24.1.1 Except as provided in 4.24.1.2, the licensee shall use only respiratory protection equipment that is tested and certified or had certification extended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

4.24.1.2 If the licensee wishes to use equipment that has not been tested or certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or has not had certification extended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or for which there is no schedule for testing or certification, the licensee shall submit an application for authorized use of that equipment, including a demonstration by testing, or a demonstration on the basis of reliable test information, that the material and performance characteristics of the equipment are capable of providing the proposed degree of protection under anticipated conditions of use.

4.24.1.3 The licensee shall implement and maintain a respiratory protection program that includes:

(1) Air sampling sufficient to identify the potential hazard, permit proper equipment selection, and estimate exposures; and

(2) Surveys and bioassays, as appropriate, to evaluate actual intakes; and

(3) Testing of respirators for operability (user seal check for face sealing devices and functional check for others) immediately prior to each use; and

(4) Written procedures regarding selection, fitting, issuance, maintenance, repair, quality assurance, storage and testing of respirators, including testing for operability immediately prior to each use; supervision and training of personnel; limitations on periods of respirator use and relief from respirator use; breathing air quality; monitoring, including air sampling and bioassays; inventory, control and recordkeeping; and

(5) Determination by a physician, prior to initial fitting of respirators, before the first field use of non-face-sealing respirators, and either every 12 months thereafter or periodically at a frequency determined by a physician, that the individual user is medically fit to use the respiratory protection equipment.

(6) Fit testing, with fit factor 10 times the assigned protection factor (APF) for negative pressure devices, and a fit factor greater than or equal to 500 for any positive pressure, continuous flow, and pressure demand devices, before the first field use of tight-fitting, face-sealing respirators and periodically thereafter at a frequency not to exceed 1 year. Fit testing must be performed with the facepiece operating in the negative pressure mode.

4.24.1.4 The licensee shall:

(1) Issue a written policy statement on respirator usage covering:

(a) The use of process or other engineering controls, instead of respirators; and

(b) The routine, nonroutine, and emergency use of respirators; and

(c) The length of periods of respirator use and relief from respirator use; and

(2) Advise each respirator user that the user may leave the area at any time for relief from respirator use in the event of equipment malfunction, physical or psychological distress, procedural or communication failure, significant deterioration of operating conditions, or any other conditions that might require such relief.

4.24.1.5 The licensee shall also consider limitations appropriate to the type and mode of use. When selecting respiratory devices the licensee shall provide for vision correction, adequate communication, low temperature work environments, and the concurrent use of other safety or radiological protection equipment. The licensee shall use equipment in such a way as not to interfere with the proper operation of the respirator.

4.24.1.6 Standby rescue persons are required whenever one piece atmosphere supplying suits, or any combination of supplied air respiratory protection device and personnel protective equipment are used from which an unaided individual would have difficulty extricating himself or herself. The standby persons must be equipped with respiratory protection devices or other apparatus appropriate for the potential hazards. The standby rescue persons shall observe or otherwise maintain continuous communication with the workers (visual, voice, signal line, telephone, radio, or other suitable means), and be immediately available to assist them in case of a failure of the air supply or for any other reason that requires relief from distress. A sufficient number of standby rescue persons must be immediately available to assist all users of this type of equipment and to provide effective emergency rescue if needed.

4.24.1.7 Atmosphere-supplying respirators must be supplied with respirable air of Grade D quality or better as defined by the Compressed Gas Association in Publication G-7.1, "Commodity Specification For Air," edition 5, published August 27, 2004, and included in the regulations of the Occupational Safety And Health Administration (29 CFR 1910.134(i)(1)(ii)(A) through (E), July 1, 2004).

Grade D quality air criteria include:

(1) Oxygen content (V/V) between 19.5 per cent and 23.5 per cent;

(2) Hydrocarbon (condensed) content of 5 milligrams per cubic meter of air or less;

(3) Carbon monoxide (CO) content of 10 parts per million or less;

(4) Carbon dioxide content of 1,000 parts per million or less; and

(5) Lack of noticeable odor.

4.24.1.8 The licensee shall ensure that no objects, materials or substances, such as facial hair, or any conditions that interfere with the face, facepiece seal or valve function, and that are under the control of the respirator wearer, are present between the skin of the wearer's face and the sealing surface of a tight fitting respirator facepiece.

4.24.1.9 In estimating the dose to individuals from intake of airborne radioactive materials, the concentration of radioactive material in the air that is inhaled when respirators are worn is initially assumed to be the ambient concentration in air without respiratory protection, divided by the assigned protection factor. If the dose is later found to be greater than the estimated dose, the corrected value must be used. If the dose is later found to be less than the estimated dose, the corrected value may be used.

4.24.2 When estimating exposure of individuals to airborne radioactive materials, the licensee may make allowance for respiratory protection equipment used to limit intakes pursuant to 4.23, provided that the following conditions, in addition to those in 4.24.1, are satisfied:

4.24.2.1 The licensee selects respiratory protection equipment that provides a protection factor, specified in Appendix 4A, greater than the multiple by which peak concentrations of airborne radioactive materials in the working area are expected to exceed the values specified in Appendix 4B, Table 4B1, Column 3. However, if the selection of respiratory protection equipment with a protection factor greater than the multiple defined in the preceding sentence is inconsistent with the goal specified in 4.23 of keeping the total effective dose equivalent ALARA, the licensee may select respiratory protection equipment with a lower protection factor provided that such a selection would result in a total effective dose equivalent that is ALARA. The concentration of radioactive material in the air that is inhaled when respirators are worn may be initially estimated by dividing the average concentration in air, during each period of uninterrupted use, by the protection factor. If the exposure is later found to be greater than initially estimated, the corrected value shall be used; if the exposure is later found to be less than initially estimated, the corrected value may be used.

4.24.2.2 The licensee shall obtain authorization from the Department before assigning respiratory protection factors in excess of those specified in Appendix 4A. The Department may authorize a licensee to use higher protection factors on receipt of an application that:

(1) Describes the situation for which a need exists for higher protection factors, and

(2) Demonstrates that the respiratory protection equipment provides these higher protection factors under the proposed conditions of use.

4.24.3 In an emergency, the licensee shall use as emergency equipment only respiratory protection equipment that has been specifically certified or had certification extended for emergency use by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

4.24.4 The licensee shall notify the Department in writing at least 30 days before the date that respiratory protection equipment is first used pursuant to either 4.24.1 or 4.24.2.

4.24.5 The Department may impose restrictions in addition to the provisions of 4.23.2, 4.24.1, and Appendix 4A, in order to:

4.24.5.1 Ensure that the respiratory protection program of the licensee is adequate to limit doses to individuals from intakes of airborne radioactive materials consistent with maintaining total effective dose equivalent ALARA; and

4.24.5.2 Limit the extent to which a licensee may use respiratory protection equipment instead of process or other engineering controls.

6 CCR 1007-1-4.24

Colorado Register, Vol 37, No. 14. July 25, 2014, effective 8/14/2014

38 CR 02, January 25, 2015, effective 2/14/2015

38 CR 05, March 10, 2015, effective 3/30/2015

38 CR 12, June 25, 2015, effective 7/15/2015

38 CR 14, July 25, 2015, effective 8/14/2015

39 CR 02, January 25, 2016, effective 2/14/2016

39 CR 16, August 25, 2016, effective 9/14/2016

39 CR 22, November 25, 2016, effective 12/15/2016

40 CR 11, June 10, 2017, effective 6/30/2017

40 CR 20, October 25, 2017, effective 11/14/2017

42 CR 24, December 25, 2019, effective 1/14/2020

43 CR 14, July 25, 2020, effective 8/14/2020

43 CR 18, September 25, 2020, effective 10/15/2020

44 CR 11, June 10, 2021, effective 7/15/2021

44 CR 14, July 25, 2021, effective 8/14/2021

45 CR 22, November 25, 2022, effective 12/15/2022