Update of the NIOSH and MSHA Collection and Testing of the CSE SR-100

NIOSH Respirator User Notice

Issue Date: May 17, 2011

From: Heinz Ahlers, Chief, Technology Evaluation Branch, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

Subject: Update of the NIOSH and MSHA Collection and Testing of the CSE SR-100

On October 4, 2010, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) started collecting CSE SR-100s in order to evaluate operation of the starter oxygen system in each SR-100. The agencies need to collect 500 units to complete the evaluation.

As of May 17, 2011, 269 SR-100s have been collected and evaluated. Of the evaluated units, four (4) have failed the starter oxygen performance criteria. With four (4) failures observed, we cannot assure that the mean rate at which insufficient starter oxygen occurs in deployed SR-100s is less than 1%, even if no additional failures occur in the remaining sample. NIOSH and MSHA are continuing the collection process in order to complete the evaluation and assess the condition of field-deployed SR-100s.

Mine operators and miners are reminded that they should immediately obtain another SCSR if they encounter any difficulty with the operation of an SCSR. Operators should provide training to ensure that miners know what to do should their SCSR fail to activate. All miners should have ready access to a spare SCSR in case the first one they try to activate fails.

Update of the NIOSH and MSHA Collection and Testing of the CSE SR-100 [PDF - 447 KB]