Definitions

Air-purifying respirator

A respirator with an air-purifying filter, cartridge, or canister that removes specific air contaminants by passing ambient air through the air-purifying element.

ANSI

An abbreviation for the American National Standards Institute.

Atmosphere supplying (air-supplying) respirator

Respirator devices that provide a respirable atmosphere to the wearer independent of the ambient atmosphere.

Cartridge or canister

A container with a filter, sorbent, or catalyst, or combination of these items, which removes specific contaminants from the air passed through the container.

Dust

Solid particles generated by handling, crushing, grinding, rapid impact, detonation, and decrepitation of organic or inorganic materials.

Employee

A Miami University faculty member, staff member, student worker, or contract employee.

End-of-Service-Life Indicator

A warning system for the respirator user, which indicates the approach of the end of adequate respiratory protection (e.g., color change in sorbent material).

Filtering face-piece (dust mask)

A negative pressure particulate respirator with a filter as an integral part of the face-piece or with the entire face-piece composed of the filtering medium.

Fit test

The use of a protocol to qualitatively or quantitatively evaluate the fit of a respirator on an individual. See also Qualitative fit test (QLFT) and Quantitative fit test (QNFT.)

Fog

A mixture consisting of liquid particles dispersed in a gaseous medium.

Fume

Small solid particles usually generated by condensation from the gaseous state of a metal or plastic after volatilization.

Gas

A state of matter in which the material has very low density and viscosity; can expand and contract greatly in response to changes in temperature and pressure; easily diffuses into other gases; readily and uniformly distributes itself throughout any container.

Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH)

Acute exposure that poses an immediate threat of loss of life, immediate or delayed irreversible adverse effects on health, or an exposure that would prevent escape from a hazardous environment.

Miami University

The Miami University main campus in Oxford, Ohio and its regional campuses.

Mist

Suspended liquid droplets generated by condensation from the gaseous to the liquid state or by breaking up a liquid into a dispersed state. Mist is formed when a finely divided liquid is suspended in air.

Negative-Pressure Respirator

A type of respirator in which the air pressure inside is lower relative to the outside air pressure.

NIOSH

An abbreviation for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Oxygen deficient atmosphere

An atmosphere with less than 19.5% oxygen content.

Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR)

A type of respirator in which filtered air is delivered under positive pressure to the wearer’s breathing zone.

Qualitative fit test (QLFT)

Means a pass/fail fit test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit that relies on the individual's response to the test agent (e.g., irritant smoke).

Quantitative fit test (QNFT)

An assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the respirator

Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)

A type of respirator in which the wearer is independent of the surrounding atmosphere because he/she is breathing with a system that is portable and admits no outside air, thus providing respiratory protection against toxic gases and oxygen-deficient atmospheres.

Smoke

An air suspension (aerosol) of particles, originating from combustion or sublimation.

Standby worker

A worker who monitors other workers in IDLH work environments and is able to initiate rescue operations in case of an emergency.

Supplied-air respirators

A type of respirator that delivers breathing air through a supply hose connected to the wearer’s facepiece or enclosure.

User

A Miami University employee who is assigned to tasks that require respiratory protection and is authorized to wear respiratory protective equipment through training and meeting specific physical and medical requirements.

Vapor

A term used for a substance that, although present in the gaseous phase, usually exists as a liquid or solid at room temperature and pressure.

Work area

A room or defined space in a workplace where hazardous conditions are or may be produced or used, and where employees are present.

Workplace

An establishment, job site, or project, at one geographical location containing one or more work areas.