Section 157.27. Respiratory protection and controls to restrict internal exposure in restricted areas.

 

(1)   Use of process or other engineering controls. A licensee or registrant shall use, to the extent practical, process or other engineering controls, such as containment, decontamination or ventilation, to control the concentrations of radioactive material in air.

(2)   Use of other controls.

(a) When it is not practical to apply process or other engineering controls to control the concentrations of radioactive material in air to values below those that define an airborne radioactivity area, a licensee or registrant shall increase monitoring and limit intakes by one or more of the following means:

1. Control of access.

2. Limitation of exposure times.

3. Use of respiratory protection equipment.

4. Other controls.

(b) If a licensee or registrant performs an ALARA analysis to determine whether or not respirators should be used, a licensee or registrant may also consider the impact of respirator use on workers' industrial health and safety.

(3)   Use of individual respiratory protection equipment.

(a) If a licensee or registrant uses respiratory protection equipment to limit intakes under sub. (2) , all of the following criteria shall apply:

1. Except as provided in subd. 2. , a licensee or registrant shall use only respiratory protection equipment that is tested and certified by the U.S. national institute for occupational safety and health.

2. A licensee or registrant may use equipment that has not been tested or certified by the U.S. national institute for occupational safety or for which there is no schedule for testing or certification, provided the licensee or registrant has submitted to the department and the department has approved a request for authorized use of that equipment. The request shall include documentation of a demonstration by testing, or a demonstration on the basis of test information, that the material and performance characteristics of the equipment are capable of providing the proposed degree of protection under anticipated conditions of use.

3. A licensee or registrant shall implement and maintain a respiratory protection program that includes all of the following:

a. Air sampling sufficient to identify the potential hazard, permit proper equipment selection and estimate doses.

b. Surveys and bioassays, as necessary, to evaluate actual intakes.

c. Testing of respirators for operability immediately prior to each use.

4. A licensee or registrant shall have written procedures regarding all of the following:

a. Monitoring, including air sampling and bioassays.

b. Supervision and training of respirator users.

c. Fit testing.

d. Respirator selection.

e. Breathing air quality.

f. Inventory and control.

g. Storage, issuance, maintenance, repair, testing and quality assurance of respiratory protection equipment.

h. Record keeping of all items in this subd. par.

i. Limitations on periods of respirator use and relief from respirator use.

5. Prior to initial fitting of respirators, and at least every 12 months thereafter, a physician shall determine that the individual user is physically able to use the respiratory protection equipment.

6. Fit testing, with a fit factor >/= 10 times the assigned protection factor for negative pressure devices, and a fit factor >/= 500 for any positive pressure, continuous flow, and pressure-demand devices, before the first field use of tight fitting, face-sealing respirators and periodically thereafter at a frequency not to exceed one year. Fit testing shall be performed with the facepiece operating in the negative pressure mode.

(b) A licensee shall advise each respirator user that the user may leave the area at any time for relief from respirator use in the event of equipment malfunction, physical or psychological distress, procedural or communication failure, significant deterioration of operating conditions, or any other conditions that might require such relief.

(c) A licensee shall also consider limitations appropriate to the type and mode of use. When selecting respiratory devices the licensee shall provide for vision correction, adequate communication, low temperature work environments, and the concurrent use of other safety or radiological protection equipment. The licensee shall use equipment in such a way as not to interfere with the proper operation of the respirator.

(d) Standby rescue persons are required whenever one-piece atmosphere-supplying suits, or any combination of supplied air respiratory protection device and personnel protective equipment are used from which an unaided individual would have difficulty extricating himself or herself. The standby persons shall be equipped with respiratory protection devices or other apparatus appropriate for the potential hazards. The standby rescue persons shall observe or otherwise maintain continuous communication with the workers via visual, voice, signal line, telephone, radio, or other suitable means, and be immediately available to assist them in case of a failure of the air supply or for any other reason that requires relief from distress. A sufficient number of standby rescue persons shall be immediately available to assist all users of this type of equipment and to provide effective emergency rescue if needed.

(e) Atmosphere-supplying respirators shall be supplied with respirable air that meets the following requirements:

1. Oxygen content of 19.5-23.5 percent.

2. Condensed hydrocarbon content of 5 milligrams per cubic meter of air or less.

3. Carbon monoxide content of 10 ppm or less.

4. Carbon dioxide content of 1,000 ppm or less.

5. Lack of noticeable odor.

(f) A licensee or registrant shall ensure that no objects, materials or substances, such as facial hair, or any conditions that interfere with the face to facepiece seal or valve function, and that are under the control of the respirator wearer, are present between the skin of the wearer's face and the sealing surface of a tight-fitting respirator facepiece.

(g) In estimating the dose to individuals from intake of airborne radioactive materials, the concentration of radioactive material in the air that is inhaled when respirators are worn is initially assumed to be the ambient concentration in air without respiratory protection, divided by the assigned protection factor. If the dose is later found to be greater than the estimated dose, the corrected value must be used. If the dose is later found to be less than the estimated dose, the corrected value may be used.

(4)   Application for use of higher assigned protection factors.

(a) A licensee or registrant shall obtain authorization from the department before using assigned protection factors in excess of those specified in Appendix D.

(b) The department may authorize a licensee or registrant to use higher assigned protection factors on receipt of an application that meets the following criteria:

1. Describes the situation for which a need exists for higher protection factors.

2. Demonstrates that the respiratory protection equipment provides these higher protection factors under the proposed conditions of use.

CR 01-108 : cr. Register July 2002 No. 559 , eff. 8-1-02.

Note

Examples of means of continuous communication are visual, voice, signal line, telephone, radio or other suitable means. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1