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Alarms on portable breathing-air compressors

Summary An OSHA regional administrator asked whether portable breathing-air compressors required carbon monoxide or high-temperature alarms. OSHA distinguished a prior letter about stationary compressors from a health bulletin allowing certain portable, carbon-vane compressors without either alarm because they did not use oil lubrication. The memo explained that an oil-lubricated compressor malfunction could produce significant carbon monoxide.
Document
Federal guidance
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1994-07-05
Date issued
July 5, 1994
Status
Active
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1910 Respiratory Protection Breathing Air
Source
View the official document

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July 5, 1994

MEMORANDUM FOR: R. DAVIS LAYNE
Regional Administrator

FROM: CHARLES ADKINS, CIH
Acting Director
Directorate of Technical Support

SUBJECT: Carbon Monoxide or High Temperature Alarm Requirement for Portable Breathing Air Compressors

This is in response to your memorandum of June 7 in which you requested us to determine whether the high temperature or carbon monoxide (CO) alarm requirement applies to the portable breathing air compressors.
You stated that there are two sets of conflicting documents concerning the requirement for the CO or high temperature alarm: an OSHA Health Hazard Information Bulletin with an update issued in 1985, and a letter addressed to Mr. George Horne in 1978. Under normal operating conditions, there is little chance of the generation of CO from oil lubricated air compressors. However, when any malfunction occurs, significant amounts of CO could be produced by lubricant breakdown when the compressor cylinder head reaches a high temperature. The Health Hazard Bulletin permitted the use of portable breathing air compressors such as the Bullard "Free Air Pump" or the Willson "Ambient Air Breathing Apparatus" without their being equipped with either a CO or high temperature alarm because these portable air compressors use carbon vanes as the air mover which do not need lubrication.
The Horne letter addressed only stationary breathing air compressors; it did not address the alarm requirement for portable air compressors since they were not available at that time.
If you have any questions, please contact Ching-tsen Bien of my staff at 202-219-7065.

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