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Nuclear weapons and nuclear power systems have their
own radiation protection and control programs. The
program excludes those individuals, who as patients, are
exposed to radiation while undergoing diagnostic or
therapeutic procedures.
RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM
Many repair and maintenance operations generate
air contaminants that are dangerous if inhaled.
Engineering controls, such as local exhaust ventilation,
are the most effective methods of protecting personnel
against such contaminants. When engineering controls
are not possible, personnel must wear respiratory
protection. OPNAVINST 5100.23C, chapter 15, and
OPNAVINST 5100.19B, chapter B6, cover the
Respiratory Protection Program.
The Respiratory Protection Program requires
training, fit-testing, recordkeeping, medical screening,
and procurement and tracking of equipment. It also
requires the purchase of respirators, spare parts, and
cartridges.
Respirators have been used by workers for
centuries. Discomfort from dust and smells drove some
workers to invent their own respirators using cloth and
animal bladders. The coal mining industry took the lead
in developing and certifying respirators for miners
suffering from black lung disease. In the late 1960s and
early 1970s, the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA) were designated as the
certifying agencies for respirators.
Respirators and respirator parts are designed and
manufactured according to strict NIOSH and MSHA
guidelines. Respirators that NIOSH and MSHA have
tested and certified are labeled with a NIOSH/MSHA
certification number. Parts are not interchangeable
between manufacturers.
Elements of the Respiratory
Protection Program
The Respiratory Protection Program must include
the following elements:
Written standard operating procedures
Proper, hazard-specific selection of respirators
User training in the proper operation and
limitations of respirators
Regular cleaning and disinfection of respirators
Convenient, clean, and sanitary storage of
respirators
Inspection, repair, and maintenance of
respirators
Industrial hygiene surveys to identify operations
requiring respirators and to recommend specific
types of respirators
Periodic monitoring and evaluation of program
effectiveness
Medical qualification
Use of only NIOSH and MSHA approved
respirators
Fit-testing
Ashore, the commanding officer or officer in charge
starts the program by appointing, in writing, a certified
respiratory protection program manager (RPPM).
Afloat, the commanding officer appoints, in writing, a
trained respiratory protection officer (RPO). Although
the duties of the RPPM and the RPO are similar, the
duties of each depend on the size of the command and
the extent to which command personnel use respirators.
Selecting the Proper Respirators
You must wear the correct respirator for the right
job! A respirator is not going to do you any good if it is
the wrong type. Some people believe they can wear the
surgical masks worn by medical personnel during
various evolutions, such as deck grinding and small
welding jobs. Those blue surgical masks serve only one
purpose–to keep the doctor from passing saliva to the
patient. Surgical masks will not protect personnel from
any type of air contaminant. Selecting and wearing the
correct, properly fitted respirator is the only way
workers can ensure they are protected.
Identifying Various Types of Air Contaminants
When selecting a respirator, we must first
understand the six types of air contamination we may be
exposed to:
Dust–Small solid particles created by the
breaking up of larger particles by processes such as
crushing, grinding, sanding, or chipping. Some dusts are
very toxic, such as the sanding dust from lead-based
paints.
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