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Abstract
The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees Respiratory Protection Standards. It reports increasing citations for manufacturing companies’ noncompliance to respiratory protection regulations: 1,895 citations (totaling $2.4 million in fines) in 2019 to 2,475 citations (totaling $4.4 million in fines) in 2023. These citations translate to millions of mostly underrepresented frontline workers who are at risk of exposure to inhalation hazards. This study aimed to explore the ability of employers and employees to comply with the Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) in manufacturing companies in parallel with the ongoing global changes. The study used thematic analysis methods based on traditional descriptive phenomenological methods to examine beliefs and behaviors about mask and respiratory protection use through key informant interviews. The key informant survey guide was designed and informed by the Framework for Oversight and Guidance of Respiratory Protection, the Hierarchy of Controls, and the Industrial Hygiene Decision-making Framework and Process. A certified industrial hygienist conducted sixteen key informant interviews with employees required to wear respirators and employers responsible for managing respiratory protection programs at manufacturing companies. Thematic analysis of transcribed key informant interviews and the pre-interview surveys was conducted over three iterations of coding using ATLAS.ti 23 qualitative software and Microsoft Excel. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts determined four factors as the driving indicators of successful implementation of respiratory protection usage among workers and are presented in this study as the FACT model: (1) Fit of the respirator for the individual worker; (2) Acceptance and Perception of Risk Among Workers and how aligning training to address these beliefs may drive acceptance of the required control measures; (3) Comfort of the worker performing the job while wearing a respirator and if the employee is willing to accept discomfort associated with respiratory use based on their risk perception; and (4.) Type of respirator selected based on the complete worker experience as opposed to choosing the minimally acceptable respirator based on one air contaminant.