NIOSH Diskette Set Provides Up-To-Date Resource on Certified Respirators, Mine Samplers

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 260-8519
July 14, 1998

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a new list of all respirators and personal sampling units approved under the institute's testing and certification program, as well as supplementary product information for each device.

The new list, available on a set of high-density computer diskettes, updates the last version of the certified equipment list, published in 1993. The new version:

• Keys each entry to a product trade name, so that users can readily correlate the information with trade names used in packaging and advertising brochures.
• Provides a contact name, address, and phone number for each approved manufacturer.
• Allows the user to search for respirator information by manufacturer, approval class, and type of contaminant.

"The certified equipment list is an essential guide for the selection of devices that are used every day as the final line of defense to protect workers from harmful exposures," said NIOSH Director Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H. "As a diskette, the guide offers convenient access and an easy means for disseminating the list as widely as possible."

The NIOSH testing and certification program assures the availability of effective personal protective devices and reliable coal mine dust sampling units. The new list includes more than 5,700 products, an increase of more than 3,200 entries from the 1993 edition. Among these are devices that have been certified since 1995, when NIOSH upgraded its respirator certification standards to reflect modern testing and manufacturing technology, and to stimulate the production of newer and better respirators.

The diskette is designed to be used with IBM-compatible computers with an 80386 or higher processor, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, at least 4 megabytes of memory (8 megabytes are recommended), and a 3.5-inch high density floppy disk drive.

To obtain "Certified Equipment List as of February 13, 1998," DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 98-121, contact the NIOSH toll-free information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674). For further information on the certification program and NIOSH research activities, contact the information number or visit NIOSH on the World Wide Web at www.cdc.gov/niosh.