National Academies Press: OpenBook

Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace (2007)

Chapter: Front Matter

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace

Committee on the Review of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/ Bureau of Labor Statistics Respirator Use Survey

William D. Kalsbeek, Thomas J. Plewes, and Ericka McGowan, Editors

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

Committee on National Statistics

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract No. DHHS 200-2005-10881, Task Order 2, between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-10288-X

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Copyright 2007 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Suggested citation: National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. William D. Kalsbeek, Thomas J. Plewes, and Ericka McGowan; Editors. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine


The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.


The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.


The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.


The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH/BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS RESPIRATOR USE SURVEY

Chairperson

WILLIAM D. KALSBEEK,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Members

JOHNNY BLAIR,

Abt Associates

JANICE COMER BRADLEY,

International Safety Equipment Association

ZANE FRUND,

Mine Safety Appliances Company

ARTHUR T. JOHNSON,

University of Maryland

VIRGINIA LESSER,

Oregon State University

JAMES W. PLATNER,

Center to Protect Workers’ Rights

DAVID SARVADI,

Keller and Heckman, LLP

BRUCE J. TATARCHUK,

Auburn University

MICHAEL WEEKS,

Research Triangle Institute

National Research Council Staff

THOMAS J. PLEWES, Study Director

ERICKA M. MCGOWAN, Associate Program Officer

LANCE HUNTER, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Chairpersons

ELSA REICHMANIS (NAE),

Lucent Technologies

F. FLEMING CRIM (NAS),

University of Wisconsin

Members

PAUL T. ANASTAS,

Green Chemistry Institute

GARY S. CALABRESE,

Rohm & Haas Company

JEAN DE GRAEVE,

Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium

PABLO G. DEBENEDETTI,

Princeton University

MILES P. DRAKE,

Weyerhauser Company

GEORGE W. FLYNN,

Columbia University

MAURICIO FUTRAN,

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

PAULA T. HAMMOND,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ROBERT HWANG,

Sandia National Laboratory

JAY V. IHLENFELD,

3M Research & Development

JAMES L. KINSEY,

Rice University

MARTHA A. KREBS,

California Energy Commission

CHARLES T. KRESGE,

Dow Chemical Company

SCOTT J. MILLER,

Yale University

GERALD V. POJE,

Independent Consultant, Vienna, VA

DONALD PROSNITZ,

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

MATTHEW V. TIRRELL,

University of California, Santa Barbara

National Research Council Staff

TINA M. MASCIANGIOLI, Program Officer

ERICKA M. MCGOWAN, Associate Program Officer

SYBIL A. PAIGE, Administrative Associate

JESSICA PULLEN, Research Assistant

DAVID C. RASMUSSEN, Senior Project Assistant

FEDERICO SAN MARTINI, Associate Program Officer

DOROTHY ZOLANDZ, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
×

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS 2005-2006

Chair

WILLIAM F. EDDY,

Carnegie Mellon University

Members

KATHERINE ABRAHAM,

University of Maryland

ROBERT BELL,

AT&T Research Laboratories, Florham Park, NJ

ROBERT M. GROVES,

University of Michigan

JOHN HALTIWANGER,

University of Maryland

PAUL W. HOLLAND,

Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ

JOEL L. HOROWITZ,

Northwestern University

DOUGLAS MASSEY,

Princeton University

VIJAY NAIR,

University of Michigan

DARYL PREGIBOND,

Google, Inc., New York

SAMUEL H. PRESTON,

University of Pennsylvania

KENNETH PREWITT,

Columbia University

LOUISE RYAN,

Harvard University

NORA CATE SCHAEFFER,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Director

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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Preface

The mission of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is to prevent work-related illness and injury by ensuring the development, certification, deployment, and use of personal protective equipment and fully integrated, intelligent ensembles. This is accomplished through the advancement and application of personal protective technology standards. Like everything else about this new agency of government (founded in 2001), this is an evolving mission statement for a changing and evolving agency. While NPPTL inherited a portfolio of research into personal protective equipment technology and an extensive real-world standards-setting and certification program that impacts directly on the use of respirators in the workplace, NPPTL has been striving to seek new ground in a performance-driven environment in which there are new areas of emphasis, technologies, and responsibilities.

As part of a multifaceted look at the inherited and evolving portfolio of the NPPTL,1 the laboratory asked the National Academies to undertake a special look at the informational underpinnings of the respirator use program in mid-2005 and to report back expeditiously with recommendations. The primary focus of the committee inquiry was to be on a landmark survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) under the sponsorship of NIOSH in 2001—the Survey of Respirator Use and Practices (SRUP). The review would critique the survey and render judgment on the fitness and relevance of the survey methodology to provide valid information that would guide respirator protection policy into the future.

Various skills were needed to approach this task in a comprehensive manner. The National Academies formed this committee to represent broadly the range of interests involved, with members drawn from industry, employee organizations, and academe according to the necessary expertise. The committee members were selected on the basis of their expertise in occupational health and safety, industrial hygiene, respirator and filter technology, survey design and methodology, and statistical data analysis. In this regard, the National Academies was fortunate to obtain the enthusiastic service of a committee of experts who were broadly representative of the many disciplines and interests that would have to pull together to ensure a successful program of respiratory protection in U.S. workplaces.

In the process of developing this report, the committee conducted two meetings to which officials of the NPPTL and BLS were invited to discuss the SRUP and other matters of concern to the agencies, and a third, closed meeting at which the committee’s findings and recommendations were discussed. In addition to the formal meetings, selected committee members participated in conference calls with agency representatives to elicit more technical information.

The staff of the National Academies that supported this review was drawn from two divisions within the Academies— the Division on Earth and Life Studies, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST), and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT). Dorothy Zolandz, the board director of BCST ably served as overall project director, and Constance Citro provided support and direction on the statistical aspects of the investigation from her position as director of CNSTAT. Tom Plewes of CNSTAT staff served as study director, while Ericka McGowan of BCST served as

1

The Institute of Medicine has formed a standing Committee on Personal Protective Equipment for Workplace Safety and Health to serve as a steering committee for studies to support NPPTL. The committee will provide a forum for discussion of scientific and technical issues relevant to the development, certification, deployment, and use of personal protective equipment, standards, and related systems.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
×

research associate. Lance Hunter of CNSTAT rounded out this interdisciplinary staff as project assistant, in charge of administrative support to the committee.

Throughout the project, the staff of the sponsoring agency, NPPTL, provided sustained interest and support for the project. Senior leadership of the laboratories, including Les Boord, director of NPPTL, was supportive of the work of the committee and participated in its first and second meetings to provide both guidance and technical expertise. Throughout its work, the committee was directly assisted by NPPTL Associate Director for Science Dr. MaryAnn D’Alessandro, who in turn was ably supported by several members of the senior staff of the laboratories: Roland BerryAnn, George Bockosh, Bill Haskell, and John Kovac.

Staff of the NIOSH Division of Respiratory Disease Studies (DRDS) were also very helpful in assembling background materials, providing a unique perspective with their expertise in workplace surveillance, and otherwise supporting the work of the committee. The members of this team, Brent Doney and Mark Greskevitch, supported by Dennis Groce, were instrumental in initiating the mid-1990 investigations that determined that NIOSH would sponsor the BLS survey and played critical functions in providing context to the SRUP. Under the guidance of NPPTL, this team and others from DRDS have carried the bulk of the burden of preparing and disseminating analysis of the survey and its findings, continuing the program of exploiting survey results to this day with several pioneering statistical analytical products still in the pipeline.

Likewise, the staff of the Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions of the BLS, which had responsibility for the design and conduct of the SRUP, was consistently supportive of the committee. The assistant commissioner of BLS for this office, William J. Wiatrowski, and his associate, William McCarthy, developed and presented an objective discussion of the survey at the first meeting of the committee and stood ready to respond to the many questions posed by the committee and staff prior to and after that presentation. Kelly Frampton of BLS was very helpful in retrieving and forwarding documents to the committee as well.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making its report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

The committee wishes to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:


Dr. Howard Cohen, University of New Haven, Connecticut

Dr. Lewis Goldfrank, New York University School of Medicine

Dr. James S. Johnson, Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired), Pleasanton, California

Dr. Timothy Johnson, University of Illinois, Chicago

Dr. Frank Potter, Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, New Jersey

Dr. Stanley Suboleski, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Michael Wright, United Steelworkers of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Dr. Alan Zaslavsky, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Harley Moon, Iowa State University. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.


William D. Kalsbeek, Chair

Committee on the Review of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health/ Bureau of Labor Statistics

Respirator Use Survey

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Measuring Respirator Use in the Workplace. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11799.
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Respirators are used in a variety of workplaces including emergency response, mining operations, construction, manufacturing, and hospitals. In 2001, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioned a nationwide survey of respirator use in the workplace, the results of which were published in the 2003 report Respirator Usage in Private Sector Firms. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate respirator use and practices, including training practices and the value of respirator manufacturer's instruction, in order to help guide NIOSH respirator certification and research. This National Research Council (NRC) report evaluates the survey in terms of several measures such as the adequacy and appropriateness of the survey instrument, the survey methodology, data analysis, and the conclusions drawn from the data. The NRC report finds that the survey was an important first step in collecting respiratory protection data from a probability sample but that several improvements could be made in survey design and analysis. Based on the review of the survey, the NRC report concludes that data on respirator use would be best provided by employers and employees in the context of the work setting.

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