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PPE CASE – Point-of-Use Assessment for Closed-Circuit Escape Respirators Sampled from Mines that use both Subpart O and Subpart H Approved Units: First Phase
2022
NPPTL Report Number P2022-0102
Carriable Subpart H approved CSE SRLD SCSR units that passed the manufacturer’s inspection all demonstrated the expected life support capacity over the course of the manufacturer’s specified service time. NIOSH identified two Subpart O approved CSE SR2000 SCSR units that did not conform and notified the approval holder who withdrew approval due to changing market conditions while testing continued.
Previous LTFEs that randomly sampled from mining districts (first phase, second phase, and third phase) focused on respirators approved to Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 84, Subpart H. In 2019, NIOSH implemented a revised LTFE strategy that includes, for the first time, the collection and evaluation of units approved to the agency’s 2012 update to the regulation, Subpart O. This revised strategy targeted units approved to Subpart O that were also exposed to more severe conditions. The strategy further targeted units approved to Subpart H that were within the same mines and exposed to similar conditions as the targeted Subpart O units. All findings obtained from LTFEs using this revised strategy will be documented in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) CASE (Conformity Assessment Studies and Evaluations) reports by phases—beginning with phase one. This report represents the first phase of the NIOSH PPE CASE reporting using the revised LTFE sampling strategy and presents findings for CSE SRLD and CSE SR2000 units that were collected and tested between September 2019 and July 2020. The SR2000 was an approved device for the first two tests. During these two tests, the device was found to be nonconforming. The manufacturer withdrew the approval for the SR2000 on June 19, 2020 before the remaining 38 SR2000 units were tested, citing changing market conditions as the reason for the approval withdrawal. Collection, testing, evaluation, and publication of results for the second and third phase have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suggested Citation
NIOSH [2022] PPE CASE: Point-of-Use Assessment for Closed-Circuit Escape Respirators Sampled from Mines that use both Subpart O and Subpart H Approved Units: First Phase. By Walbert G, Moore S, Monaghan W, and Simons J. Pittsburgh, PA U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NPPTL Report Number P2022-0102.