Facial hair and powered air-purifying respirators

July 27, 1993
Mr. John Rosenberg
Vice President
Siegwerk, Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Rosenberg:
This is in response to the question in your letter of April 26, concerning the use of the Racal "Breath-Easy 6" powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) for the protection of employees with beards.
In response to your question, it appears that the visor for the respirator is equipped with a bib containing an elastomeric band running along the edge. When the visor is lowered, the bib is intended to be drawn back under the lower jaw so the elastomeric edge forms a line running from ear to ear under the lower jaw. The purpose of the elastomeric band is to draw the edge of the bib snugly against the skin. If your company used this respirator to protect an employee with a beard containing hair growing or extending under the elastomeric edge of the bib, then your company would violate the stipulation in [29 CFR 1910.134(g)(1)(i)] of the respiratory protection standard that reads, ~~"Respirators shall not be worn when conditions prevent a good face seal."~~
(Correction 03/29/99)

[(1) Facepiece seal protection.

(i) The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have:
(A) Facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function; or (B) Any condition that interferes with the face-to-facepiece seal or valve function.]

A suitable respirator for bearded individuals would be one that did not rely on a face-face piece seal, e.g., a hood type respirator.

We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this matter for you.
Sincerely,
Ruth McCully, Director
Office of Compliance Assistance

[Earlier OSHA correspondence and requester letter reproduced on OSHA page; omitted here.]

[Corrected 12/6/2024]