Respiratory Protection Program Reflects New OSHA Standard For Assigned Protection Factors
Birmingham, MI — Resource Development Company, LLC (RDC) released updated Respiratory Protection learning modules that address the new Assigned Protection Factors (APFs) defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The RDC modules are designed for process company workers in the chemical, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical industries.
OSHA announced on August 23, 2006 that new Assigned Protection Factors for respiratory protection programs are being incorporated into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard effective November 22, 2006. The Respiratory Protection Standard will now contain provisions necessary for a comprehensive respiratory protection program, including selection and use of respirators, training, medical evaluation, and fit testing.
APFs are numbers that indicate the level of workplace respiratory protection that a respirator or class of respirators is expected to provide to employees when used as part of an effective respiratory protection program. Employers must follow these new requirements and use APFs to select the appropriate type of respirator based upon the exposure limit of a contaminant and the level of the contaminant in the workplace. Employers select respirators by comparing the exposure level found in the workplace and the maximum concentration of the contaminant in which a particular type of respirator can be used (the Maximum Use Concentration, or MUC). If the workplace level of the contaminant is expected to exceed the respirator's MUC, the employer must choose a respirator with a higher APF.
Resource Development Company's Respiratory Protection program reflects these changes as of October 19 so that clients can educate their employees on the new standard before the November 22 effective date. The Respiratory Protection program, like all RDC learning modules, meets the e-Learning Courseware Certification (eCC) standard established by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). RDC's modules represent the largest body of e-Learning content ever certified by the ASTD for excellence and quality, and RDC is one of only six vendors to have their entire library certified.
In addition, the RDC instructional design process has been validated and approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). As such, learners are able to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from degree-granting colleges, universities, and professional associations based on the successful mastery of RDC learning modules. RDC is also an American Petroleum Institute (API) Certified Training Provider.
SOURCE: Resource Development Company, LLC