Respiratory Protection practice questions for the ASP exam

During a shift, a worker wearing a cartridge respirator in a solvent-use area notices that breathing has become noticeably harder. The worker tells the supervisor. According to the standard, what must the employer do before the worker returns to the work area?

1. A.Replace or repair the respirator
2. B.Reduce the worker's exposure time in the area to 30 minutes per hour
3. C.Have the worker wait 15 minutes and then resume work if breathing eases
4. D.Perform a new medical evaluation of the worker before the next shift

During annual fit testing, a worker tells the technician that a recent illness has left him unable to taste or smell. The technician needs a fit-test method whose result does not depend on the wearer noticing a test agent inside the facepiece. Which approach fits this situation?

1. A.A service life assessment, because it shows how long the respirator gives adequate protection
2. B.A qualitative fit test using a stronger test agent, because the wearer's response still decides the result
3. C.A qualitative fit test, because it gives a simple pass/fail result
4. D.A quantitative fit test, because it numerically measures leakage into the respirator

Five months ago, a worker was trained on the half-mask respirator he still uses, with the same model and the same tasks. During a program audit, the safety professional sees him wearing the respirator with the straps hanging loose. When asked, he cannot explain how to check that the facepiece is working properly. No changes have been made to the workplace or the respirator. What does the standard require the employer to do?

1. A.Retrain the worker now, because his demonstrated gaps in knowledge and use show he has not retained the required understanding or skill.
2. B.Wait until the annual retraining date, because less than 12 months have passed since the last training and nothing in the workplace has changed.
3. C.Retrain him only if the respirator model or the workplace changes, since those are the only events that require retraining before the annual cycle.
4. D.Document the observation and have him repeat the medical evaluation, since training is required only when a medical limitation is identified.