0920-AA77 202010 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 0920 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC 0900 Department of Health and Human Services HHS Development of Regulatory Requirements for Respirator Fit Capability Test Standards for Air-Purifying, Half-Facepiece, Particulate Respirators

HHS is publishing this interim final rule to establish a new performance standard designed to allow the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to test the fit characteristics of air purifying, half-facepiece respirators during the approval process. The new standard, developed by ASTM International in collaboration with the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, would be incorporated by reference into the existing respirator regulations for both filtering facepiece respirators and elastomeric respirators equipped with any type of particulate filter. The intent of the new standard is to ensure that an approved non-powered, air-purifying respirator is capable of fitting its intended population. HHS expects that this action will result in improved respiratory protection for healthcare workers and emergency responders who may be exposed to airborne aerosolized infectious organisms such as SARS-CoV-2.

]]> Substantive, Nonsignificant First Time Published in The Unified Agenda Final Rule Stage No No Regulatory 42 CFR 84.182 Pub. L. 91-596 Pub. L. 179 Pub. L. 91-173 No Interim Final Rule 05/00/2021 No None No No No Rachel Weiss Public Health Analyst 0920 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC 404 498-2500 nioshregs@cdc.gov 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-46, Cincinnati OH 45226