AIHA Against Amending Enforcement of Fit Testing for TB
FAIRFAX, VA – In a letter sent to members of Congress, the AIHA is opposing any attempt to stop OSHA from enforcing annual fit testing of respirators for tuberculosis.

The House Appropriations Committee defeated an amendment last week that would have blocked a rule requiring annual testing of respirators that protect against tuberculosis. Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) tried to reinstate this amendment to eliminate the fit requirement.

“It’s important that OSHA is not restricted in doing its mission of protecting workers’ health and safety,” said AIHA President Donald J. Hart, PhD, CIH. “Allowing enforcement of the General Industry Respiratory Protection Standard (1910.134) will support this mission.”

The letter was sent to members of the U.S. House of Representatives in response to discussions that there may once again be an attempt to add a rider to the House fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) enforcement of respiratory protection requirements for tuberculosis.

AIHA believes the actions undertaken by OSHA are in the best interest of workers who could be exposed to M. tuberculosis. The General Industry Respiratory Protection Standard (1910.134) is the regulatory standard applied to a wide range of respiratory hazards in the majority of workplaces in the United States. M. tuberculosis is not significantly different from a host of other respiratory hazards.

The appropriations bill is scheduled to hit the floor this week.

The AIHA letter is available at http://www.aiha.org/ under “Government Affairs.” For more information regarding AIHA comments to Rep. Miller or other AIHA Government Affairs issues, contact Aaron Trippler, AIHA director of government affairs, at (703) 846-0730 or atrippler@aiha.org.

Founded in 1939, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is an association of occupational and environmental health and safety professionals. AIHA’s 11,600 members play a crucial role on the front line of worker health and safety every day. Members represent a cross-section of industry, private business, labor, government, and academia.  

For more information, go to http://www.aiha.org/.