When should respiratory protection such as a respirator be used?

• A. When performing routine tasks with no hazards
• B. Only outdoors
• C. When airborne contaminants are absent
• D. When airborne contaminants exceed limits or as required by the job safety plan

Answer: (D)

Respiratory protection is used whenever there is a real inhalation hazard. You wear a respirator to reduce exposure to airborne contaminants that exceed permissible exposure limits or when the job safety plan requires it. If the airborne contaminants are below those limits or the plan doesn’t mandate protection, a respirator isn’t needed. Using protection when there’s no hazard, or restricting use to outdoors, or when contaminants are absent, would be unnecessary or inappropriate. The key point is to match respirator use to the level of risk and the safety plan.