42 CFR 84, Subpart J - Supplied-Air Respirators

On June 25, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing to update respirator approval standards in response to a petition to amend our regulations, current requirements for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) remaining service-life indicators or warning devices. These indicators are built into a respirator to alert the user that the breathing air provided by the respirator is close to depletion. In this final rule, HHS responds to public comment on the proposed rule and revises the current standard, employed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) located within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to allow greater flexibility in the setting of the indicator alarm to ensure that the alarm more effectively meets the different worker protection needs of different work operations. This final rule sets a minimum alarm point at 25 percent of the rated service time and allows the manufacturer to offer remaining service life set point at a higher value or values appropriate to the purchaser's use scenario.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposes to revise the fee structure currently used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to charge respirator manufacturers for the examination, inspection, and testing of respirators which are submitted to NIOSH for the purpose of creating or modifying a certificate of approval. Existing regulations reflect prices for respirator testing and approval that were promulgated in 1972, and have not kept pace with the actual costs of providing these services that benefit respirator manufacturers. This proposed rule is designed to update the regulations.