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NIOSH Respiratory Protective Device Information
NIOSH CA 2023-1053
April 2023
SUMMARY
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issues this notice to clarify date information on the label for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs) that are approved by NIOSH and certified to the 2019 edition of NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Emergency Services. This standard is listed on the NFPA website and on the standard’s cover as the 2019 edition. NIOSH approval and Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) NFPA certification documentation and SCBA product labels refer to the same standard as the 2018 edition.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
This NFPA 1981 standard was drafted in September 2018, but the cover and title page were given a 2019 date during the NFPA editorial and publishing process. Chapter 5 of NFPA 1981 provides the required wording for labels applied to compliant SCBAs (shown below). However, because of the discrepancy between when the standard was completed and when it was published, the required labeling lists the edition as 2018, while the cover of the published standard shows the edition as 2019. To be compliant with the specific labeling provisions of NFPA 1981, SCBAs approved and certified to this edition of NFPA 1981 standard are referred to as the 2018 edition in the NIOSH approval letter and SEI certification documentation as follows:
THIS SCBA MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF
NFPA 1981, STANDARD ON OPEN-CIRCUIT
SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS (SCBA)
FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES, 2018 EDITION.
DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL
REFERENCES
Approval of Respiratory Protective Devices, 42 C.F.R. Part 84
NFPA 1971: Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting
NFPA 1975: Standard on Emergency Services Work Apparel
NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services
NIOSH Approved is a certification mark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) registered in the United States and several international jurisdictions.