Photo courtesy of MaxAir PAPRs are reusable and often have a hood or helmet that covers the nose, mouth, and eyes. A battery-powered blower pulls air through filters or cartridges.

ASRs provide clean breathing air from a separate source. These respirators protect workers from many types of airborne contaminants (particles, gases, and vapors) and, in certain cases, oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Tight-fitting ASRs require fit testing prior to use. Below are the different types of ASRs.

For more information about selecting the proper respirator for the hazard, please refer to the NIOSH respirator selection logic.

There are ten classes of NIOSH-approved particulate filtering respirators. These types of respirators use filters to remove particles from the air that is breathed through them. The N, R, and P designations refer to the filter’s oil resistance as described in the table below.

SCBAs have their own breathing air supply that the user carries. This makes these devices portable. SCBAs are either open circuit or closed circuit.

The 3M™ FF-6000 Series provides the ultimate in comfort and protection. It is an industry recognised face mask that provides protection every day to a wide variety of users and applications.

SARs are connected to a separate source that supplies breathing air via a hose. This source is located outside of the work area.

The Certified Equipment List (CEL) is the official list of all NIOSH-approved respirators. Alternatively, NIOSH keeps a list of the NIOSH-approved air-purifying respirators organized by filter series type. Supplier information and donning instructions are also available in these lists.

APRs use filters, cartridges, or canisters to remove gases, vapors, aerosols, or a combination of contaminants from the air. Tight-fitting APRs require fit testing prior to use. Below are the different types of APRs.

The 3M™ FF-6000 Series provides the ultimate in comfort and protection. The industry recognised face mask provides protection every day in a wide variety of applications.

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There are two main types of respiratory protection—air-purifying respirators (APRs) and atmosphere-supplying respirators (ASRs). Each respirator type provides a different level of protection based on its design. Therefore, it’s important to choose the right type of respirator for the specific exposure. To do that, you must identify all respiratory hazards in your environment and the amount of exposure. Additionally, each type of respirator has an assigned protection factor (APF). This indicates the level of protection you can expect to receive from that respirator. Table 1 of the OSHA Respiratory Protection standard presents the APFs for each type of respirator.