Wear & care for a respirator
Your respirator can only protect you if you put it on correctly and keep it in good condition.
When your employer requires you to wear a respirator, you must:
- Use it the way you were trained and instructed.
- Inspect it before each use.
- Do a user seal check before each use if you have a tight-fitting respirator.
- Report any problem with it to your supervisor or employer.
- Clean and maintain it if your employer has assigned you that responsibility.
Always follow your training and the manufacturer’s instructions. Tell your supervisor if:
- You have a health concern about wearing a respirator.
- Anything might interfere with the seal of a tight-fitting respirator.
Your employer must make sure respirators are kept clean and in good working order. They should give you the time and supplies you need to care for yours.
Knowledge required
- Training to put on and use your respirator
- Fit testing if your respirator is tight-fitting
- Fit testing for the specific respirator you’ll wear, based on its make, model, and size
What you need
- Your respirator and the manufacturer’s instructions
- The right filters or cartridges for the hazard
- Cleaning supplies from your employer
- Any other personal protective equipment (PPE) you’ll wear with it, such as safety eyewear, hearing protection, or a hard hat
If you’re concerned your respirator isn’t protecting you, leave the area right away.
Warning signs include:
- Smelling or tasting the contaminant
- Irritation in your eyes, throat, or lungs
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Trouble breathing
Tell your supervisor or employer. Don’t go back until the problem is found and fixed.
How to put on your respirator
Put on your respirator before you go into the work area.
If you have a tight-fitting respirator with straps:
- Inspect your respirator. Go to How to inspect your respirator.
- Make sure you have the right filters or cartridges for the hazard and that they don’t need changing. Ask your supervisor or employer if you’re not sure.
- Hold the facepiece over your nose and chin.
- Place the top strap above your ears, over the crown of your head. Place the bottom strap below your ears, around your neck.
- Tighten the straps so the respirator feels snug but comfortable. It shouldn’t dig into your face or leave red marks.
- If there’s a metal nosepiece, shape it around your nose.
- Do a user seal check. Go to How to do a user seal check.
If you have a loose-fitting respirator:
- Inspect your respirator. Go to How to inspect your respirator.
- Make sure you have the right filters or cartridges for the hazard, and that they don’t need changing. Ask your supervisor or employer if you’re not sure.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for putting it on, including checking that the fan gives the required airflow.
How to inspect your respirator
Inspect your respirator before each use and when you clean it. Do all the checks in the manufacturer’s instructions.
Check for issues when inspecting:
- The facepiece: dirty, cracked, torn, warped, or with holes (rubber or silicone should be soft, not stiff)
- Valves: missing, cracked, curled, or dirty (valves should lie flat)
- Straps: broken, stiff, knotted, or with missing or broken buckles (straps should be stretchy)
- Filters and cartridges: wrong for the respirator (different brand), wrong for the hazard (different type), poorly secured, damaged, or showing no date for first use
- Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs): low battery or poor wiring, connections, or breathing tube
- Air-supplying respirators: broken or damaged hoses, connections, regulators, or air cylinders
If any part is missing or damaged, don’t use the respirator. Report it to your supervisor or employer. Damaged respirators should be tagged “out of service” until they’re repaired.
How to do a user seal check
If you wear a tight-fitting respirator, you must do a user seal check every time you put it on. A seal check is a quick test you do yourself to make sure your respirator is sealing to your face. It doesn’t replace a fit test.
You don’t need to do a seal check on a loose-fitting respirator, or when you use an escape respirator in an emergency.
- Remove anything that could interfere with the seal, such as:
- Facial hair
- Jewellery
- The arms of glasses
- Put on your respirator and any other PPE you’ll wear with it.
- Tighten the straps so the respirator feels snug but comfortable.
- Wear it for a few minutes so it can warm up and shape to your face.
There are two kinds of seal checks: negative pressure and positive pressure. You only need to do one. Some respirators are designed for only one kind of seal check. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Gently cover the filter or cartridge openings with your palms. If you wear a PAPR or an air-supplying respirator, close off or disconnect the hose to stop the airflow.
- Breathe in gently and hold your breath for 10 seconds.
- Check the facepiece. It should pull in slightly against your face and stay there. You shouldn’t feel air leaking in around the edges.
- Cover the exhalation valve with your palm.
- Breathe out gently and hold for 10 seconds.
- Check the facepiece. It should puff out slightly and stay that way. You shouldn’t feel air leaking out around the edges.
On some respirators, you can’t do this check without moving the facepiece. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.
You can do a seal check with a filtering facepiece respirator. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. In general:
- Cover the front of the respirator with your hands. If it has a valve, block it off.
- Breathe in. The respirator should pull in slightly against your face.
- Breathe out. You shouldn’t feel air escaping around the edges.
- Adjust the respirator on your face and adjust the straps. Don’t overtighten them. The respirator should still feel comfortable. It shouldn’t dig into your face or leave red marks.
- Check that the valves are in place and lie flat.
- Do the seal check again.
If it still fails after a few tries, don’t go into the work area. Tell your supervisor. You’ll need a different size, make, or model, and a new fit test.
How to care for your respirator
Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. In general:
- Take off the filters or cartridges. Don’t get them wet.
- If the instructions say to, remove the straps, valves, and gaskets.
- Wash the facepiece in warm (not hot) water with mild soap. Never use solvents like gasoline or paint thinner.
- Rinse well in clean, warm water. Soap left on the facepiece can irritate your skin and make valves stick.
- Sanitize the facepiece. Use the manufacturer’s recommendation or make your own solution: about 30 mL (2 tbsp.) of household bleach to 4 L (1 gal.) of water. A stronger solution can damage the respirator. Then rinse the facepiece again.
- Let all parts air dry. Make sure the valves dry flat.
- Put the respirator back together. Check that every part is in place.
Filtering facepieces (like N95s) can’t be cleaned. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for when to throw them away. Go to When to replace your respirator.
When to clean it
Clean reusable respirators often enough to keep them sanitary. Clean your respirator:
- As often as needed, if you’re the only person using it
- Before another worker wears it, if it’s shared
- After each use, if it’s used in an emergency
- After each use, if it’s used for fit testing or training
Respirators used around very toxic substances, like asbestos, need special cleaning.
You can do simple upkeep yourself, like replacing valves or straps, if your employer has given you that job and trained you to do it. Use only parts the manufacturer approves for your model. Parts from different brands don’t fit together properly. If you need replacement parts, ask your supervisor.
More complex repairs must be done by a qualified person, such as the manufacturer or someone they’ve trained. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), including their regulators, must be serviced and repaired by qualified people. Air cylinders must be pressure tested on a regular schedule.
Store your respirator in a clean, dry place, like a cabinet or locker. Keep it away from:
- Chemicals
- Dust
- Direct sunlight
- Very hot or cold temperatures
Do:
- Keep straps and hoses from being bent out of shape.
- Keep it in a resealable plastic bag. This keeps it clean and stops cartridges from absorbing contaminants while you’re not using it.
- Keep emergency and escape respirators where other workers can reach them quickly.
Don't:
- Store it with tools, which can damage it.
- Crush or fold it unless it’s designed to fold.
When to replace your respirator
You’ll need to replace parts of your respirator from time to time, or the whole respirator. Check:
- Filters: Replace them when they’re damaged, dirty, or hard to breathe through. Some filters also have time limits when there’s oil in the air. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Filtering facepieces: Throw them away when they’re damaged, dirty, bent out of shape, or hard to breathe through. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Cartridges: Cartridges get used up over time. Your employer must set a schedule for changing them. Write the date on each cartridge when you start using it. Don’t wait until you can smell or taste the contaminant. If you do smell or taste it, or your eyes, throat, or lungs feel irritated, leave the area and replace the cartridges.
- SCBA air cylinders: If a filled cylinder hasn’t been used for more than a year, it must be slowly emptied and refilled. Your employer must also have the compressed breathing air tested at least once a year.
- The whole respirator: Replace it if it’s damaged and can’t be properly repaired.
- Escape respirators: Throw away single-use escape respirators after they’ve been used.
Related resources
Breathe Safer: How to Use Respirators Safely and Start a Respirator Program
This book provides information on how to use respirators to protect workers from breathing hazards. Written for employers, supervisors, and workers, the book covers:
- Types of breathing...
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Please note: The content on this page is intended to help you understand and meet the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. More detailed information can be found in the OHS Guidelines and/or OHS Regulation.