Respirators are Crucial to Breathing Easier in the Workplace

An estimated 1.3 million workplaces throughout the United States require their workers to use respirators. That‚s nearly 5 million workers who use respirators on a regular basis. These units protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments as well as harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. Many of these hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, diseases, or death. Compliance with the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard could avert hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses annually.
Respirators protect the user in two key ways. The first is by the removal of contaminants from the air. Respirators of this type include particulate respirators, which filter out airborne particles, and air-purifying respirators with cartridges/canisters which filter out chemicals and gases. Other respirators protect by supplying clean respirable air from another source. Respirators that fall into this category include airline respirators, which use compressed air from a remote source, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which include their own air supply.