[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1783 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1783

 To require a change in a regulation under the Occupational Safety and 
                          Health Act of 1970.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 1995

 Mrs. Vucanovich introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
        the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

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                                 A BILL


 
 To require a change in a regulation under the Occupational Safety and 
                          Health Act of 1970.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. USE OF RESPIRATORS.

    In the implementation of the requirements of the Occupational 
Safety and Health Act respecting the use of respirators by personnel 
operating within an immediately dangerous to life and health 
atmosphere, the Secretary of Labor shall change regulations published 
at 29 C.F.R. 1910.134(e)(3)(i) and (ii) to require that employers shall 
develop and implement specific procedures for the use of respirators in 
atmospheres where oxygen deficiency or the concentrations of a 
hazardous chemical are unknown or potentially immediately dangerous to 
the life or health (IDLH) of the employees. These procedures shall 
include the following provisions:
            (1) The employee shall wear positive pressure self-
        contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or combination full 
        facepiece pressure demand supplied air respirator with 
        auxiliary self-contained air supply.
            (2) When an employee wears a respirator in an IDLH 
        atmosphere or in unknown or potentially IDLH atmospheres where 
        the employee could be overcome if the respirator protection 
        fails, the employer shall ensure that at least one additional 
        person located outside the IDLH atmosphere is in communication 
        with the employee in the IDLH atmosphere and able to provide 
        effective emergency assistance.
            (3) Where employees enter IDLH atmospheres, the employer 
        shall ensure that they are equipped with retrieval equipment 
        for lifting or removing them from the hazardous area or shall 
        ensure that equivalent provisions for rescue have been made.
            (4) The emergency assistance personnel present shall be 
        equipped with a positive pressure self-contained breathing 
        apparatus.
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