PDFWAC 296-307-624
Scope.
(1) This part applies only if employees:
(a) Are exposed to a respiratory hazard;
or
(b) Could be exposed to one of the specific hazards listed below.
(2) This part applies to any workplace with potential or actual employee exposure to respiratory hazards. It requires the employer to protect employees from respiratory hazards by applying this protection strategy:
(a) Evaluate employee exposures to determine if controls are needed;
(b) Use feasible controls. For example, enclose or confine the operation, use ventilation systems, or substitute with less toxic material;
(c) Use respirators if controls are not feasible or if they cannot completely remove the hazard.
Definition.
Exposed or exposure. The contact an employee has with a toxic substance, harmful physical agent or oxygen deficient condition, whether or not protection is provided by respirators or other personal protective equipment (PPE). Exposure can occur through various routes of entry, such as inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or skin absorption.
Note: | Examples of substances that may be respiratory hazards when airborne include: |
1. Chemicals listed in Table 3. | |
2. Any substance: | |
a. Listed in the latest edition of the NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances; | |
b. For which positive evidence of an acute or chronic health hazard exists through tests conducted by, or known to, the employer; | |
c. That may pose a hazard to human health as stated on a material safety data sheet kept by, or known to, the employer. | |
3. Atmospheres considered oxygen deficient. | |
4. Biological agents such as harmful bacteria, viruses or fungi. | |
Examples include airborne TB aerosols and anthrax. | |
5. Pesticides with a label requirement for respirator use. | |
6. Chemicals used as crowd control agents such as pepper spray. | |
7. Chemicals present at clandestine drug labs. | |
These substances can be airborne as dusts, fibers, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smoke, sprays, vapors, or aerosols. |
References: | 1. Substances in Table 3 that are marked with an X in the "skin" column may require personal protective equipment (PPE). See WAC 296-307-100, Personal protective equipment, for additional information and requirements. |
2. If any of the following hazards are present in the workplace, the employer will need both this part and any of the following specific rules that apply: |
Hazard | |
a. | Acrylonitrile; |
b. | Arsenic (inorganic); |
c. | Asbestos; |
d. | Benzene; |
e. | Butadiene; |
f. | Cadmium; |
g. | Carcinogens; |
h. | Coke ovens; |
i. | Cotton dust; |
j. | 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane; |
k. | Ethylene oxide; |
l. | Formaldehyde; |
m. | Lead; |
n. | Methylene chloride; |
o. | Methylenedianiline; |
p. | Thiram; |
q. | Vinyl chloride. |