Welcome to the December edition of CORESafety TV — the online video program from the National Mining Association.

In 1919, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) launched the first Respirator Certification Program.

Just a few months later, on January 15, 1920, the USBM actually certified the first air respirator.

In recognition of the 100-year anniversary of those milestones, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and the National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched the annual Respiratory Protection Week this past September.

Another regional celebration is planned for January 2020 as well.

In this episode of CORESafety TV, we have a special interview with NPPTL Director Maryann D’Alessandro, PhD. and engineer Bob Stein explaining the process of approving and certifying mining air respirators.

They also discuss the closed-circuit escape respirator standard that was put into place in April 2012, which resulted in new improvements to those escape respirators used in underground mines.

Please take a few minutes to watch this episode and then share it with your management team and workforce.

Also, please share any of your videos, photos or safety success stories by emailing info@CORESafetyTV.org or calling us at 202.888.5330.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• CORESafety TV (December 2019 episode) – click here.
• CORESafety TV (November 2019 episode) – go here.
• Respiratory Protection Week – go here.
• National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory – click here.

For the CORESafety website, visit us here.