Employers may soon receive an invitation from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to complete a survey on respirator use, the first to collect updated data since its initial survey in 2001.
The Survey of Respirator Use and Practices (SRUP) will be used to update the estimated number of U.S. companies using respirators, determine why the respirators are being used and reveal how employers are managing respirator use.
This is intended to help ensure that NIOSH’s Respirator Approval Program can address all respirator uses and practices so it can continue to provide “crucial support to workers and the public.”
NIOSH’s Respirator Approval Program is the “most robust respirator certification and approval program across the globe” and is counted upon by many countries to provide workers with these protections.
“Respirators offer workers and the public protection from hazards such as those created when providing healthcare to patients, using harsh chemicals for cleaning or manufacturing, or fighting wildland or structural fires,” said Maryann D’Alessandro, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. “We encourage all businesses to complete the survey about their respirator use and practices. This information is critical to informing future research and development within NIOSH’s Respirator Approval Program.”
Survey meant to capture post-pandemic practices
New questions added since the 2001 survey are meant to help determine how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted respirator use across many industries.
“The survey will provide a retrospective view of respirator use and procurement challenges that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic,” D’Alessandro said. “This will ensure better planning and preparedness for future pandemics.”
NIOSH feels that the changes in respirator use throughout the pandemic make it important to capture current practices in:
- manufacturing
- mining
- agriculture
- healthcare
- public safety
- construction, and
- services.
Invitations to complete the survey were scheduled to start being sent out on November 2, 2023. Questions regarding the survey can be directed to ODAdmin@cdc.gov.
