RESPIRATORY PROTECTION STANDARD - COMMENTS ON OSHAS PROPOSED REVISION

On November 15, 1994, the Occupational Safety and Health Administratio n (OSHA) published in the Federal Register (59:58884-58956) the draft of a proposed revision of the Respiratory Protection Standard. One of OSHA's oldest standards, the Respiratory Protection Standard defines t he conduct of the employer (eg, hospital) with respect to respirator t raining, fit testing, medical examinations, use, storage, and so on. T he proposed revision appears to have been drafted with no consideratio n for its effect on healthcare workers or the healthcare industry. SHE A has prepared the following comments to OSHA, which have been submitt ed to the docket and will be presented at public hearings later this m onth (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1995;16:365-371).