5
EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITIES
Your specific responsibilities may vary by location and industry, but in general RPB®expects that
employers will:
Follow all applicable standards and regulations for your location, industry, and activity.
Depending on your location and industry, a number of standards and regulations may apply
to your selection and use of respirators and other personal protective equipment. These may
include such things as federal (e.g., OSHA, MSHA, Canadian Occupational Health and Safety),
local (e.g., state, provincial), or military standards and regulations and consensus standards
such as ANSI and CSA. There are also requirements specific to particular contaminants, e.g.
silica (see rpbsafety.com/important-safety-information/ for more information), asbestos,
organic pathogens, etc. Know which requirements apply to your location and industry.
Have appropriate safety programs in place.
Have and follow:
A workplace safety program.
In accordance with the above,
Perform a hazard analysis and select appropriate equipment for each activity. A
hazard analysis should be performed by a qualified person. Controls should be in
place as appropriate and a qualified person should determine what kind of respiratory,
face and eye, head, and hearing protection is appropriate for the intended activities
and environments of use. (For example, select a respirator appropriate to the specific
airborne hazards, with consideration of workplace and user factors and with an Assigned
Protection Factor (APF) that meets or exceeds the required level for employee protection,
select welding face and eye protection appropriate to the type of welding to be done, etc.)
As applicable, check your workplace safety program, respiratory protection program, and
standards and regulations for your activity or industry for related protection requirements,
and see this manual (Protection Provided and Limitations, page 4) and the RPB®PAPR,
or the flow control device Instruction Manual for product specifications.
Be sure employees are medically qualified to use a respirator.
Have a qualified physician or other licensed health care professional (PLHCP) perform
medical evaluations using a medical questionnaire or an initial medical examination per
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134.
Train employees in the Z-LINK+®’s use, maintenance, and limitations.
Appoint a qualified individual who is knowledgable about the RPB®Z-LINK+® per ANSI/
ASSE Z88.2 guidelines to provide training.
Train each Z-LINK+®user in the product’s use, application, inspection, maintenance,
storage, fitting, and limitations in accordance with the content of this Instruction Manual
and standard or regulatory requirements. Ensure that each intended user reads this
manual and that of the Z-LINK®Respirator.
