327 Current state of respiratory protection

With the world of respiratory protection continuing to expand, it is crucial for safety and health practitioners to be knowledgeable in key elements of respiratory protection. The pandemic exposed gaps in knowledge about use and efficacy of respirators. There are questions about expanded use of respiratory protection in nontraditional occupational settings, including pandemic considerations for those with frequent, close exposure to other people, but also exposures associated with natural disasters (wildfire smoke inhalation, mold exposure following extreme flooding). What are employers’ responsibilities and liabilities? It is easy to see how these concerns can impact the public too. Filtration, fit, and proper use are consistently identified as having the most impact on the efficacy of respiratory protection. What do people need to know, and how can we effectively teach them? We will discuss barriers and which aspects of the framework for occupation use could be expanded to apply to the public. This session will also include discussion on emerging technologies and developing regulation.