Cotton Dust Standard

rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with CFR

§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

made available upon request to the Assistant Secretary and the Director for
examination and copying.
(ii) Employee training records required by this paragraph shall be provided upon request for examination and
copying to employees, to employee representatives, to the Director, and to
the Assistant Secretary.
(iii) Employee medical records required by this paragraph shall be provided upon request for examination and
copying to the subject employee, to
anyone having written consent of the
subject employee, to the Director, and
to the Assistant Secretary in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1020.
(4) Transfer of Records. (i) The employer shall comply with the requirements involving transfer of records set
forth in 29 CFR 1910.1020(h).
(ii) If the employer ceases to do business and there is no successor employer
to receive and retain the records for
the prescribed period, the employer
shall notify the Director, at least three
months prior to their disposal and
transmit them to the Director, if required by the Director to do so, within
that three month period.
(i) Dates—(1) Effective Date. The
standard shall become effective on
March 6, 1992.
(2) The Exposure Control Plan required by paragraph (c) of this section
shall be completed on or before May 5,
1992.
(3) Paragraph (g)(2) Information and
Training and (h) Recordkeeping shall
take effect on or before June 4, 1992.
(4) Paragraphs (d)(2) Engineering and
Work Practice Controls, (d)(3) Personal
Protective Equipment, (d)(4) Housekeeping, (e) HIV and HBV Research
Laboratories and Production Facilities, (f) Hepatitis B Vaccination and
Post-Exposure Evaluation and Followup, and (g) (1) Labels and Signs, shall
take effect July 6, 1992.
(5) Sharps injury log. (i) The employer
shall establish and maintain a sharps
injury log for the recording of
percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps. The information in the
sharps injury log shall be recorded and
maintained in such manner as to protect the confidentiality of the injured
employee. The sharps injury log shall
contain, at a minimum:

(A) The type and brand of device involved in the incident,
(B) The department or work area
where the exposure incident occurred,
and
(C) An explanation of how the incident occurred.
(ii) The requirement to establish and
maintain a sharps injury log shall
apply to any employer who is required
to maintain a log of occupational injuries and illnesses under 29 CFR 1904.
(iii) The sharps injury log shall be
maintained for the period required by
29 CFR 1904.6.
APPENDIX A TO SECTION 1910.1030—HEPATITIS
B VACCINE DECLINATION (MANDATORY)
I understand that due to my occupational
exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials I may be at risk of acquiring
hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. I have
been given the opportunity to be vaccinated
with hepatitis B vaccine, at no charge to myself. However, I decline hepatitis B vaccination at this time. I understand that by declining this vaccine, I continue to be at risk
of acquiring hepatitis B, a serious disease. If
in the future I continue to have occupational
exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials and I want to be vaccinated
with hepatitis B vaccine, I can receive the
vaccination series at no charge to me.
[56 FR 64175, Dec. 6, 1991, as amended at 57
FR 12717, Apr. 13, 1992; 57 FR 29206, July 1,
1992; 61 FR 5508, Feb. 13, 1996; 66 FR 5325, Jan.
18, 2001; 71 FR 16672, 16673, Apr. 3, 2006]

§ 1910.1043 Cotton dust.
(a) Scope and application. (1) This section, in its entirety, applies to the control of employee exposure to cotton
dust in all workplaces where employees
engage in yarn manufacturing, engage
in slashing and weaving operations, or
work in waste houses for textile operations.
(2) This section does not apply to the
handling or processing of woven or
knitted materials; to maritime operations covered by 29 CFR Parts 1915
and 1918; to harvesting or ginning of
cotton; or to the construction industry.
(3) Only paragraphs (h) Medical surveillance, (k)(2) through (4) Recordkeeping—Medical Records, and Appendices B, C and D of this section apply
in all work places where employees exposed to cotton dust engage in cottonseed processing or waste processing operations.

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
(4) This section applies to yarn manufacturing and slashing and weaving
operations exclusively using washed
cotton (as defined by paragraph (n) of
this section) only to the extent specified by paragraph (n) of this section.
(5) This section, in its entirety, applies to the control of all employees exposure to the cotton dust generated in
the preparation of washed cotton from
opening until the cotton is thoroughly
wetted.
(6) This section does not apply to
knitting, classing or warehousing operations except that employers with
these operations, if requested by
NIOSH, shall grant NIOSH access to
their employees and workplaces for exposure monitoring and medical examinations for purposes of a health study
to be performed by NIOSH on a sampling basis.
(b) Definitions. For the purpose of this
section:
Assistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, or designee;
Blow down means the general cleaning of a room or a part of a room by
the use of compressed air.
Blow off means the use of compressed
air for cleaning of short duration and
usually for a specific machine or any
portion of a machine.
Cotton dust means dust present in the
air during the handling or processing of
cotton, which may contain a mixture
of many substances including ground
up plant matter, fiber, bacteria, fungi,
soil, pesticides, non-cotton plant matter and other contaminants which may
have accumulated with the cotton during the growing, harvesting and subsequent processing or storage periods.
Any dust present during the handling
and processing of cotton through the
weaving or knitting of fabrics, and dust
present in other operations or manufacturing processes using raw or waste
cotton fibers or cotton fiber byproducts
from textile mills are considered cotton dust within this definition. Lubricating oil mist associated with weaving
operations is not considered cotton
dust.
Director means the Director of the
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), U.S. De-

§ 1910.1043

partment of Health and Human Services, or designee.
Equivalent Instrument means a cotton
dust sampling device that meets the
vertical elutriator equivalency requirements as described in paragraph
(d)(1)(iii) of this section.
Lint-free respirable cotton dust means
particles of cotton dust of approximately 15 micrometers or less aerodynamic equivalent diameter;
Vertical elutriator cotton dust sampler
or vertical elutriator means a dust sampler which has a particle size cut-off at
approximately 15 micrometers aerodynamic equivalent diameter when operating at the flow rate of 7.4 ±0.2 liters
of air per minute;
Waste processing means waste recycling (sorting, blending, cleaning and
willowing) and garnetting.
Yarn manufacturing means all textile
mill operations from opening to, but
not including, slashing and weaving.
(c) Permissible exposure limits and action levels—(1) Permissible exposure limits
(PEL). (i) The employer shall assure
that no employee who is exposed to
cotton dust in yarn manufacturing and
cotton washing operations is exposed
to airborne concentrations of lint-free
respirable cotton dust greater than 200
µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged
over an eight-hour period, as measured
be a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(ii) The employer shall assure that no
employee who is exposed to cotton dust
in textile mill waste house operations
or is exposed in yarn manufacturing to
dust from ‘‘lower grade washed cotton’’
as defined in paragraph (n)(5) of this
section is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 500 µg/m3 mean
concentration, averaged over an eighthour period, as measured by a vertical
elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(iii) The employer shall assure that
no employee who is exposed to cotton
dust in the textile processes known as
slashing and weaving is exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 750 µg/
m3 mean concentration, averaged over
an eight hour period, as measured by a
vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.

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§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

(2) Action levels. (i) The action level
for yarn manufacturing and cotton
washing operations is an airborne concentration of lint-free respirable cotton dust of 100 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical
elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(ii) The action level for waste houses
for textile operations is an airborne
concentration of lint-free respirable
cotton dust of 250 µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eighthour period, as measured by a vertical
elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(iii) The action level for the textile
processes known as slashing and weaving is an airborne concentration of
lint-free respirable cotton dust of 375
µg/m3 mean concentration, averaged
over an eight-hour period, as measured
by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
(d) Exposure monitoring and measurement—(1) General. (i) For the purposes
of this section, employee exposure is
that exposure which would occur if the
employee were not using a respirator.
(ii) The sampling device to be used
shall be either the vertical elutriator
cotton dust sampler or an equivalent
instrument.
(iii) If an alternative to the vertical
elutriator cotton dust sampler is used,
the employer shall establish equivalency by reference to an OSHA opinion
or by documenting, based on data developed by the employer or supplied by
the manufacturer, that the alternative
sampling devices meets the following
criteria:
(A) It collects respirable particulates
in the same range as the vertical
elutriator (approximately 15 microns);
(B) Replicate exposure data used to
establish equivalency are collected in
side-by-side field and laboratory comparisons; and
(C) A minimum of 100 samples over
the range of 0.5 to 2 times the permissible exposure limit are collected, and
90% of these samples have an accuracy
range of plus or minus 25 per cent of
the vertical elutriator reading with a
95% confidence level as demonstrated
by a statistically valid protocol. (An
acceptable protocol for demonstrating
equivalency is described in Appendix E
of this section.)

(iv) OSHA will issue a written opinion stating that an instrument is
equivalent to a vertical elutriator cotton dust sampler if
(A) A manufacturer or employer requests an opinion in writing and supplies the following information:
(1) Sufficient test data to demonstrate that the instrument meets the
requirements specified in this paragraph and the protocol specified in Appendix E of this section;
(2) Any other relevant information
about the instrument and its testing
requested by OSHA; and
(3) A certification by the manufacturer or employer that the information
supplied is accurate, and
(B) if OSHA finds, based on information submitted about the instrument,
that the instrument meets the requirements for equivalency specified by
paragraph (d) of this section.
(2) Initial monitoring. Each employer
who has a place of employment within
the scope of paragraph (a)(1), (a)(4), or
(a)(5) of this section shall conduct
monitoring by obtaining measurements
which are representative of the exposure of all employees to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust over an eight-hour period. The
sampling program shall include at
least one determination during each
shift for each work area.
(3) Periodic monitoring. (i) If the initial monitoring required by paragraph
(d)(2) of this section or any subsequent
monitoring reveals employee exposure
to be at or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall repeat
the monitoring for those employees at
least annually.
(ii) If the initial monitoring required
by paragraph (d)(2) of this section or
any subsequent monitoring reveals employee exposure to be above the PEL,
the employer shall repeat the monitoring for those employees at least
every six months.
(iii) Whenever there has been a production, process, or control change
which may result in new or additional
exposure to cotton dust, or whenever
the employer has any other reason to
suspect an increase in employee exposure, the employer shall repeat the
monitoring and measurements for

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
those employees affected by the change
or increase.
(4) Employee notification. (i) The employer must, within 15 working days
after the receipt of the results of any
monitoring performed under this section, notify each affected employee of
these results either individually in
writing or by posting the results in an
appropriate location that is accessible
to employees.
(ii) Whenever the results indicate
that the employee’s exposure exceeds
the applicable permissible exposure
limit specified in paragraph (c) of this
section, the employer shall include in
the written notice a statement that
the permissible exposure limit was exceeded and a description of the corrective action taken to reduce exposure
below the permissible exposure limit.
(e) Methods of compliance—(1) Engineering and work practice controls. The
employer shall institute engineering
and work practice controls to reduce
and maintain employee exposure to
cotton dust at or below the permissible
exposure limit specified in paragraph
(c) of this section, except to the extent
that the employer can establish that
such controls are not feasible.
(2) Whenever feasible engineering and
work practice controls are not sufficient to reduce employee exposure to
or below the permissible exposure
limit, the employer shall nonetheless
institute these controls to reduce exposure to the lowest feasible level, and
shall supplement these controls with
the use of respirators which shall comply with the provisions of paragraph (f)
of this section.
(3) Compliance program. (i) Where the
most recent exposure monitoring data
indicates that any employee is exposed
to cotton dust levels greater than the
permissible exposure limit, the employer shall establish and implement a
written program sufficient to reduce
exposures to or below the permissible
exposure limit solely by means of engineering controls and work practices as
required by paragraph (e)(1) of this section.
(ii) The written program shall include at least the following:
(A) A description of each operation or
process resulting in employee exposure

§ 1910.1043

to cotton dust at levels greater than
the PEL;
(B) Engineering plans and other studies used to determine the controls for
each process;
(C) A report of the technology considered in meeting the permissible exposure limit;
(D) Monitoring data obtained in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section;
(E) A detailed schedule for development and implementation of engineering and work practice controls, including exposure levels projected to be
achieved by such controls;
(F) Work practice program; and
(G) Other relevant information.
(iii) The employer’s schedule as set
forth in the compliance program, shall
project completion of the implementation of the compliance program no
later than March 27, 1984 or as soon as
possible if monitoring after March 27,
1984 reveals exposures over the PEL,
except as provided in paragraph
(m)(2)(ii)(B) of this section.
(iv) The employer shall complete the
steps set forth in his program by the
dates in the schedule.
(v) Written programs shall be submitted, upon request, to the Assistant
Secretary and the Director, and shall
be available at the worksite for examination and copying by the Assistant
Secretary, the Director, and any affected employee or their designated
representatives.
(vi) The written program required
under paragraph (e)(3) of this section
shall be revised and updated when necessary to reflect the current status of
the program and current exposure levels.
(4) Mechanical ventilation. When mechanical ventilation is used to control
exposure, measurements which demonstrate the effectiveness of the system to control exposure, such as capture velocity, duct velocity, or static
pressure shall be made at reasonable
intervals.
(f) Respiratory protection—(1) General.
For employees who are required to use
respirators by this section, the employer must provide respirators that
comply with the requirements of this
paragraph. Respirators must be used
during:

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§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

(i) Periods necessary to install or implement feasible engineering and workpractice controls.
(ii) Maintenance and repair activities
for which engineering and work-practice controls are not feasible.
(iii) Work operations for which feasible engineering and work-practice
controls are not yet sufficient to reduce employee exposure to or below the
permissible exposure limits.
(iv) Work operations specified under
paragraph (g)(1) of this section.
(v) Periods for which an employee requests a respirator.
(2) Respirator program. (i) The employer must implement a respiratory
protection program in accordance with
29 CFR 1910.134 (b) through (d) (except
(d)(1)(iii)), and (f) through (m).
(ii) Whenever a physician determines
that an employee who works in an area
in which the cotton-dust concentration
exceeds the PEL is unable to use a respirator, including a powered air-purifying respirator, the employee must be
given the opportunity to transfer to an
available position, or to a position that
becomes available later, that has a cotton-dust concentration at or below the
PEL. The employer must ensure that
such employees retain their current
wage rate or other benefits as a result
of the transfer.
(3) Respirator selection. (i) Employers
must:
(A) Select, and provide to employees,
the appropriate respirators specified in
paragraph (d)(3)(i)(A) of 29 CFR
1910.134; however, employers must not
select or use filtering facepieces for
protection against cotton dust concentrations greater than five times (5
×) the PEL.
(B) Provide HEPA filters for powered
and non-powered air-purifying respirators used at cotton dust concentrations greater than ten times (10 ×) the
PEL.
(ii) Employers must provide an employee with a powered air-purifying
respirator (PAPR) instead of a nonpowered air-purifying respirator selected according to paragraph (f)(3)(i)
of this standard when the employee
chooses to use a PAPR and it provides
adequate protection to the employee as
specified by paragraph (f)(3)(i) of this
standard.

(g) Work practices. Each employer
shall, regardless of the level of employee exposure, immediately establish
and implement a written program of
work practices which shall minimize
cotton dust exposure. The following
shall be included were applicable:
(1) Compressed air ‘‘blow down’’
cleaning shall be prohibited where alternative means are feasible. Where
compressed air is used for cleaning, the
employees performing the ‘‘blow down’’
or ‘‘blow off’’ shall wear suitable respirators. Employees whose presence is
not required to perform ‘‘blow down’’
or ‘‘blow of’’ shall be required to leave
the area affected by the ‘‘blow down’’
or ‘‘blow off’’ during this cleaning operation.
(2) Cleaning of clothing or floors with
compressed air shall be prohibited.
(3) Floor sweeping shall be performed
with a vacuum or with methods designed to minimize dispersal of dust.
(4) In areas where employees are exposed to concentrations of cotton dust
greater than the permissible exposure
limit, cotton and cotton waste shall be
stacked, sorted, baled, dumped, removed or otherwise handled by mechanical means, except where the employer can show that it is infeasible to
do so. Where infeasible, the method
used for handling cotton and cotton
waste shall be the method which reduces exposure to the lowest level feasible.
(h) Medical survelliance—(1) General.
(i) Each employer covered by the
standard shall institute a program of
medical surveillance for all employees
exposed to cotton dust.
(ii) The employer shall assure that
all medical examinations and procedures are performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician and
are provided without cost to the employee.
(iii) Persons other than licensed physicians, who administer the pulmonary
function testing required by this section shall have completed a NIOSH-approved training course in spirometry.
(2) Initial examinations. The employer
shall provide medical surveillance to
each employee who is or may be exposed to cotton dust. For new employees, this examination shall be provided

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
prior to initial assignment. The medical surveillance shall include at least
the following:
(i) A medical history;
(ii) The standardized questionnaire
contained in Appendix B; and
(iii) A pulmonary function measurement, including a determination of
forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced
expiratory volume in one second
(FEV1), the FEV1/FVC ratio, and the
percentage that the measured values of
FEV1 and FVC differ from the predicted values, using the standard tables
in Appendix C. These determinations
shall be made for each employee before
the employee enters the workplace on
the first day of the work week, preceded by at least 35 hours of no exposure to cotton dust. The tests shall be
repeated during the shift, no less than
4 and no more than 10 hours after the
beginning of the work shift; and, in any
event, no more than one hour after cessation of exposure. Such exposure shall
be typical of the employee’s usual
workplace exposure. The predicted
FEV1 and FVC for blacks shall be multiplied by 0.85 to adjust for ethnic differences.
(iv) Based upon the questionnaire results, each employee shall be graded
according to Schilling’s byssinosis
classification system.
(3) Periodic examinations. (i) The employer shall provide at least annual
medical surveillance for all employees
exposed to cotton dust above the action level in yarn manufacturing,
slashing and weaving, cotton washing
and waste house operations. The employer shall provide medical surveillance at least every two years for all
employees exposed to cotton dust at or
below the action level, for all employees exposed to cotton dust from washed
cotton (except from washed cotton defined in paragraph (n)(3) of this section), and for all employees exposed to
cotton dust in cottonseed processing
and waste processing operations. Periodic medical surveillance shall include
at least an update of the medical history, standardized questionnaire (App.
B–111), Schilling byssinosis grade, and
the pulmonary function measurements
in paragraph (h)(2)(iii) of this section.
(ii) Medical surveillance as required
in paragraph (h)(3)(i) of this section

§ 1910.1043

shall be provided every six months for
all employees in the following categories:
(A) An FEV1 of greater than 80 percent of the predicted value, but with an
FEV1 decrement of 5 percent or 200 ml.
on a first working day;
(B) An FEV1 of less than 80 percent of
the predicted value; or
(C) Where, in the opinion of the physician, any significant change in questionnaire findings, pulmonary function
results, or other diagnostic tests have
occurred.
(iii) An employee whose FEV1 is less
than 60 percent of the predicted value
shall be referred to a physician for a
detailed pulmonary examination.
(iv) A comparison shall be made between the current examination results
and those of previous examinations and
a determination made by the physician
as to whether there has been a significant change.
(4) Information provided to the physician. The employer shall provide the
following information to the examination physician:
(i) A copy of this regulation and its
Appendices:
(ii) A description of the affected employee’s duties as they relate to the
employee’s exposure;
(iii) The employee’s exposure level or
anticipated exposure level;
(iv) A description of any personal
protective equipment used or to be
used; and
(v) Information from previous medical examinations of the affected employee which is not readily available to
the examining physician.
(5) Physician’s written opinion. (i) The
employer shall obtain and furnish the
employee with a copy of a written
opinion from the examining physician
containing the following:
(A) The results of the medical examination and tests including the FEV1,
FVC, AND FEV1/FVC ratio;
(B) The physician’s opinion as to
whether the employee has any detected
medical conditions which would place
the employee at increased risk of material impairment of the employee’s
health from exposure to cotton dust;

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§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

(C) The physician’s recommended
limitations upon the employee’s exposure to cotton dust or upon the employee’s use of respirators including a
determination of whether an employee
can wear a negative pressure respirator, and where the employee cannot, a determination of the employee’s
ability to wear a powered air purifying
respirator; and,
(D) A statement that the employee
has been informed by the physician of
the results of the medical examination
and any medical conditions which require further examination or treatment.
(ii) The written opinion obtained by
the employer shall not reveal specific
findings or diagnoses unrelated to occupational exposure.
(i) Employee education and training—
(1) Training program. (i) The employer
shall provide a training program for all
employees exposed to cotton dust and
shall assure that each employee is informed of the following:
(A) The acute and long term health
hazards associated with exposure to
cotton dust;
(B) The names and descriptions of
jobs and processes which could result
in exposure to cotton dust at or above
the PEL.
(C) The measures, including work
practices required by paragraph (g) of
this section, necessary to protect the
employee from exposures in excess of
the permissible exposure limit;
(D) The purpose, proper use and limitations of respirators required by paragraph (f) of this section;
(E) The purpose for and a description
of the medical surveillance program required by paragraph (h) of this section
and other information which will aid
exposed employees in understanding
the hazards of cotton dust exposure;
and
(F) The contents of this standard and
its appendices.
(ii) The training program shall be
provided prior to initial assignment
and shall be repeated annually for each
employee exposed to cotton dust, when
job assignments or work processes
change and when employee performance indicates a need for retraining.
(2) Access to training materials. (i)
Each employer shall post a copy of this

section with its appendices in a public
location at the workplace, and shall,
upon request, make copies available to
employees.
(ii) The employer shall provide all
materials relating to the employee
training and information program to
the Assistant Secretary and the Director upon request.
(j) Signs. The employer shall post the
following warning sign in each work
area where the permissible exposure
limit for cotton dust is exceeded:
WARNING
COTTON DUST WORK AREA
MAY CAUSE ACUTE OR DELAYED
LUNG INJURY
(BYSSINOSIS)
RESPIRATORS
REQUIRED IN THIS AREA

(k) Recordkeeping—(1) Exposure measurements. (i) The employer shall establish and maintain an accurate record of
all measurements required by paragraph (d) of this section.
(ii) The record shall include:
(A) A log containing the items listed
in paragraph IV (a) of Appendix A, and
the dates, number, duration, and results of each of the samples taken, including a description of the procedure
used to determine representative employee exposure;
(B) The type of protective devices
worn, if any, and length of time worn;
and
(C) The names, social security numbers, job classifications, and exposure
levels of employees whose exposure the
measurement is intended to represent.
(iii) The employer shall maintain
this record for at least 20 years.
(2) Medical surveillance. (i) The employer shall establish and maintain an
accurate medical record for each employee subject to medical surveillance
required by paragraph (h) of this section.
(ii) The record shall include:
(A) The name and social security
number and description of the duties of
the employee;
(B) A copy of the medical examination results including the medical history, questionnaire response, results of
all tests, and the physician’s recommendation;
(C) A copy of the physician’s written
opinion;

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
(D) Any employee medical complaints related to exposure to cotton
dust;
(E) A copy of this standard and its
appendices, except that the employer
may keep one copy of the standard and
the appendices for all employees, provided that he references the standard
and appendices in the medical surveillance record of each employee; and
(F) A copy of the information provided to the physician as required by
paragraph (h)(4) of this section.
(iii) The employer shall maintain
this record for at least 20 years.
(3) Availability. (i) The employer shall
make all records required to be maintained by paragraph (k) of this section
available to the Assistant Secretary
and the Director for examination and
copying.
(ii) Employee exposure measurement
records and employee medical records
required by this paragraph shall be provided upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the Assistant Secretary in accordance with 29
CFR 1910.1020 (a) through (e) and (g)
through (i).
(4) Transfer of records. (i) Whenever
the employer ceases to do business, the
successor employer shall receive and
retain all records required to be maintained by paragraph (k) of this section.
(ii) Whenever the employer ceases to
do business, and there is no successor
employer to receive and retain the
records for the prescribed period, these
records shall be transmitted to the Director.
(iii) At the expiration of the retention period for the records required to
be maintained by this section, the employer shall notify the Director at
least 3 months prior to the disposal of
such records and shall transmit those
records to the Director if the Director
requests them within that period.
(iv) The employer shall also comply
with any additional requirements involving transfer of records set forth in
29 CFR 1910.1020(h).
(l) Observation of monitoring. (1) The
employer shall provide affected employees or their designated representatives an opportunity to observe any
measuring or monitoring of employee
exposure to cotton dust conducted pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section.

§ 1910.1043

(2) Whenever observation of the
measuring or monitoring of employee
exposure to cotton dust requires entry
into an area where the use of personal
protective equipment is required, the
employer shall provide the observer
with and assure the use of such equipment and shall require the observer to
comply with all other applicable safety
and health procedures.
(3) Without interfering with the
measurement, observers shall be entitled to:
(i) An explanation of the measurement procedures:
(ii) An opportunity to observe all
steps related to the measurement of
airborne concentrations of cotton dust
performed at the place of exposure; and
(iii) An opportunity to record the results obtained.
(m) Washed Cotton—(1) Exemptions.
Cotton, after it has been washed by the
processes described in this paragraph,
is exempt from all or parts of this section as specified if the requirements of
this paragraph are met.
(2) Initial requirements. (i) In order for
an employer to qualify as exempt or
partially exempt from this standard for
operations using washed cotton, the
employer must demonstrate that the
cotton was washed in a facility which
is open to inspection by the Assistant
Secretary and the employer must provide sufficient accurate documentary
evidence to demonstrate that the washing methods utilized meet the requirements of this paragraph.
(ii) An employer who handles or processes cotton which has been washed in
a facility not under the employer’s
control and claims an exemption or
partial exemption under this paragraph, must obtain from the cotton
washer and make available at the
worksite, to the Assistant Secretary,
to any affected employee, or to their
designated representative the following:
(A) A certification by the washer of
the cotton of the grade of cotton, the
type of washing process, and that the
batch meets the requirements of this
paragraph;
(B) Sufficient accurate documentation by the washer of the cotton grades
and washing process; and

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§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

(C) An authorization by the washer
that the Assistant Secretary or the Director may inspect the washer’s washing facilities and documentation of the
process.
(3) Medical and dyed cotton. Medical
grade (USP) cotton, cotton that has
been scoured, bleached and dyed, and
mercerized yarn shall be exempt from
all provisions of this standard.
(4) Higher grade washed cotton. The
handling or processing of cotton
classed as ‘‘low middling light spotted
or better’’ (color grade 52 or better and
leaf grade code 5 or better according to
the 1993 USDA classification system)
shall be exempt from all provisions of
the standard except the requirements
of paragraphs (h) medical surveillance,
(k)(2) through (4) recordkeeping—medical records, and Appendices B, C, and
D of this section, if they have been
washed on one of the following systems:
(i) On a continuous batt system or a
rayon rinse system including the following conditions:
(A) With water;
(B) At a temperature of no less than
60 °C;
(C) With a water-to-fiber ratio of no
less than 40:1; and
(D) With the bacterial levels in the
wash water controlled to limit bacterial contamination of the cotton.
(ii) On a batch kier washing system
including the following conditions:
(A) With water;
(B) With cotton fiber mechanically
opened and thoroughly prewetted before forming the cake;
(C) For low-temperature processing,
at a temperature of no less than 60 °C
with a water-to-fiber ratio of no less
than 40:1; or, for high-temperature
processing, at a temperature of no less
than 93 °C with a water-to-fiber ratio of
no less than 15:1;
(D) With a minimum of one wash
cycle followed by two rinse cycles for
each batch, using fresh water in each
cycle, and
(E) With bacterial levels in the wash
water controlled to limit bacterial contamination of the cotton.
(5) Lower grade washed cotton. The
handling and processing of cotton of
grades lower than ‘‘low middling light
spotted,’’ that has been washed as spec-

ified in paragraph (n)(4) of this section
and has also been bleached, shall be exempt from all provisions of the standard except the requirements of paragraphs (c)(1)(ii) Permissible Exposure
Limit, (d) Exposure Monitoring, (h)
Medical Surveillance, (k) Recordkeeping, and Appendices B, C and D of
this section.
(6) Mixed grades of washed cotton. If
more than one grade of washed cotton
is being handled or processed together,
the requirements of the grade with the
most stringent exposure limit, medical
and monitoring requirements shall be
followed.
(n) Appendices. (1) Appendices B, C,
and D of this section are incorporated
as part of this section and the contents
of these appendices are mandatory.
(2) Appendix A of this section contains information which is not intended to create any additional obligations not otherwise imposed or to detract from any existing obligations.
(3) Appendix E of this section is a
protocol which may be followed in the
validation of alternative measuring devices as equivalent to the vertical
elutriator cotton dust sampler. Other
protocols may be used if it is demonstrated that they are statistically
valid, meet the requirements in paragraph (d)(l)(iii) of this section, and are
appropriate for demonstrating equivalency.
APPENDIX A TO § 1910.1043—AIR SAMPLING AND
ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING
CONCENTRATIONS OF COTTON DUST
I. SAMPLING LOCATIONS

The sampling procedures must be designed
so that samples of the actual dust concentrations are collected accurately and consistently and reflect the concentrations of dust
at the place and time of sampling. Sufficient
number of 6-hour area samples in each distinct work area of the plant should be collected at locations which provide representative samples of air to which the worker is exposed. In order to avoid filter overloading,
sampling time may be shortened when sampling in dusty areas. Samples in each work
area should be gathered simultaneously or
sequentially during a normal operating period. The daily time-weighted average (TWA)
exposure of each worker can then be determined by using the following formula:

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
Summation of hours spent in each location
and the dust concentration in that location.
Total hours exposed
A time-weighted average concentration
should be computed for each worker and
properly logged and maintained on file for
review.
II. SAMPLING EQUIPMENT

(a) Sampler. The instrument selected for
monitoring is the Lumsden-Lynch vertical
elutriator. It should operate at a flow rate of
7.4±0.2 liters/minute.
The samplers should be cleaned prior to sampling. The pumps should be monitored during
sampling.
(b) Filter Holder. A three-piece cassette
constructed of polystyrene designed to hold
a 37-mm diameter filter should be used. Care
must be exercised to insure that an adequate
seal exists between elements of the cassette.
(c) Filers and Support Pads. The membrane
filters used should be polyvinyl chloride with
a 5-um pore size and 37-mm diameter. A support pad, commonly called a backup pad,
should be used under the filter membrane in
the field monitor cassette.
(d) Balance. A balance sensitive to 10
micrograms should be used.
(e) Monitoring equipment for use in Class
III hazardous locations must be approved for
use in such locations, in accordance with the
requirements of the OSHA electrical standards in Subpart S of Part 1910.

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III. INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION PROCEDURE

Samplers shall be calibrated when first received from the factory, after repair, and
after receiving any abuse. The samplers
should be calibrated in the laboratory both
before they are used in the field and after
they have been used to collect a large number of field samples. The primary standard,
such as a spirometer or other standard calibrating instruments such as a wet test meter
or a large bubble meter or dry gas meter,
should be used. Instructions for calibration
with the wet test meter follow. If another
calibration device is selected, equivalent
procedures should be used:
(a) Level wet test meter. Check the water
level which should just touch the calibration
point at the left side of the meter. If water
level is low, add water 1–2 °F. warmer than
room temperature of till point. Run the
meter for 30 minutes before calibration;
(b) Place the polyvinyl chloride membrane
filter in the filter cassette;
(c) Assemble the calibration sampling
train;
(d) Connect the wet test meter to the
train.
The pointer on the meter should run clockwise and a pressure drop of not more than 1.0
inch of water indicated. If the pressure drop

§ 1910.1043

is greater than 1.0, disconnect and check the
system;
(e) Operate the system for ten minutes before starting the calibration;
(f) Check the vacuum gauge on the pump
to insure that the pressure drop across the
orifice exceeds 17 inches of mercury;
(g) Record the following on calibration
data sheets:
(1) Wet test meter reading, start and finish;
(2) Elapsed time, start and finish (at least
two minutes);
(3) Pressure drop at manometer;
(4) Air temperature;
(5) Barometric pressure; and
(6) Limiting orifice number;
(h) Calculate the flow rate and compare
against the flow of 7.4±0.2 liters/minute. If
flow is between these limits, perform calibration again, average results, and record
orifice number and flow rate. If flow is not
within these limits, discard or modify orifice
and repeat procedure;
(i) Record the name of the person performing the calibration, the date, serial
number of the wet test meter, and the number of the critical orifices being calibrated.
IV. SAMPLING PROCEDURE

(a) Sampling data sheets should include a
log of:
(1) The date of the sample collection;
(2) The time of sampling;
(3) The location of the sampler;
(4) The sampler serial number;
(5) The cassette number;
(6) The time of starting and stopping the
sampling and the duration of sampling;
(7) The weight of the filter before and after
sampling;
(8) The weight of dust collected (corrected
for controls);
(9) The dust concentration measured;
(10) Other pertinent information; and
(11) Name of person taking sample
(b) Assembly of filter cassette should be as
follows:
(1) Loosely assemble 3-piece cassette;
(2) Number cassette;
(3) Place absorbant pad in cassette;
(4) Weigh filter to an accuracy of 10 µg;
(5) Place filter in cassette;
(6) Record weight of filter in log, using cassette number for identification;
(7) Fully assemble cassette, using pressure
to force parts tightly together;
(8) Install plugs top and bottom;
(9) Put shrink band on cassette, covering
joint between center and bottom parts of
cassette; and
(10) Set cassette aside until shrink band
dries thoroughly.
(c) Sampling collection should be performed as follows:
(1) Clean lint out of the motor and
elutriator;

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29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

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(2) Install vertical elutriator in sampling
locations specified above with inlet 41⁄2 to 51⁄2
feet from floor (breathing zone height);
(3) Remove top section of cassette;
(4) Install cassette in ferrule of elutriator;
(5) Tape cassette to ferrule with masking
tape or similar material for air-tight seal;
(6) Remove bottom plug of cassette and attach hose containing critical orifice;
(7) Start elutriator pump and check to see
if gauge reads above 17 in. of Hg vacuum;
(8) Record starting time, cassette number,
and sampler number;
(9) At end of sampling period stop pump
and record time; and
(10) Controls with each batch of samples
collected, two additional filter cassettes
should be subjected to exactly the same handling as the samples, except that they are
not opened. These control filters should be
weighed in the same manner as the sample
filters.
Any difference in weight in the control filters would indicate that the procedure for
handling sample filters may not be adequate
and should be evaluated to ascertain the
cause of the difference, whether and what
necessary corrections must be made, and
whether additional samples must be collected.
(d) Shipping. The cassette with samples
should be collected, along with the appro-

priate number of blanks, and shipped to the
analytical laboratory in a suitable container
to prevent damage in transit.
(e) Weighing of the sample should be
achieved as follows:
(1) Remove shrink band;
(2) Remove top and middle sections of cassette and botton plug;
(3) Remove filter from cassette and weigh
to an accuracy of 10 µg; and
(4) Record weight in log against original
weight
(f) Calculation of volume of air sampled
should be determined as follows:
(1) From starting and stopping times of
sampling period, determine length of time in
minutes of sampling period; and
(2) Multiply sampling time in minutes by
flow rate of critical orifice in liters per
minute and divide by 1000 to find air quantity in cubic meters.
(g) Calculation of Dust Concentrations
should be made as follows:
(1) Substract weight of clean filter from
dirty filter and apply control correction to
find actual weight of sample. Record this
weight (in µg) in log; and
(2) Divide mass of sample in µg by air volume in cubic meters to find dust concentration in µg/m. Record in log.

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§ 1910.1043

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–07 Edition)

APPENDIX D TO § 1910.1043—PULMONARY FUNCTION STANDARDS FOR COTTON DUST STANDARD

The spirometric measurements of pulmonary function shall conform to the following minimum standards, and these standards are not intended to preclude additional
testing or alternate methods which can be
determined to be superior.

j. The instrument must be capable of being
calibrated in the field with respect to the
FEV1 and FVC. This calibration of the FEV1
and FVC may be either directly or indirectly
through volume and time base measurements. The volume calibration source should
provide a volume displacement of at least 2
liters and should be accurate to within ±30
milliliters.
II. TECHNIQUE FOR MEASUREMENT OF FORCED
VITAL CAPACITY MANEUVER

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I. APPARATUS

a. The instrument shall be accurate to
within ±50 milliliters or within ±3 percent of
reading, whichever is greater.
b. The instrument should be capable of
measuring vital capacity from 0 to 7 liters
BTPS.
c. The instrument shall have a low inertia
and offer low resistance to airflow such that
the resistance to airflow at 12 liters per second must be less than 1.5 cm H2 O/(liter/sec).
d. The zero time point for the purpose of
timing the FEV1 shall be determined by extrapolating the steepest portion of the volume time curve back to the maximal inspiration volume (1, 2, 3, 4) or by an equivalent
method.
e. Instruments incorporating measurements of airflow to determine volume shall
conform to the same volume accuracy stated
in (a) of this section when presented with
flow rates from at least 0 to 12 liters per second.
f. The instrument or user of the instrument must have a means of correcting volumes to body temperature saturated with
water vapor (BTPS) under conditions of
varying ambient spirometer temperatures
and barometric pressures.
g. The instrument used shall provide a
tracing or display of either flow versus volume or volume versus time during the entire
forced expiration. A tracing or display is
necessary to determine whether the patient
has performed the test properly. The tracing
must be stored and available for recall and
must be of sufficient size that hand measurements may be made within requirement of
paragraph (a) of this section. If a paper
record is made it must have a paper speed of
at least 2 cm/sec and a volume sensitivity of
at least 10.0 mm of chart per liter of volume.
h. The instrument shall be capable of accumulating volume for a minimum of 10 seconds and shall not stop accumulating volume
before (1) the volume change for a 0.5 second
interval is less than 25 milliliters, or (2) the
flow is less than 50 milliliters per second for
a 0.5 second interval.
i. The forced vital capacity (FVC) and
forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.0)
measurements shall comply with the accuracy requirements stated in paragraph (a) of
this section. That is, they should be accurately measured to within ±50 ml or within
±3 percent of reading, whichever is greater.

a. Use of a nose clip is recommended but
not required. The procedures shall be explained in simple terms to the patient who
shall be instructed to loosen any tight clothing and stand in front of the apparatus. The
subject may sit, but care should be taken on
repeat testing that the same position be used
and, if possible, the same spirometer. Particular attention shall be given to insure
that the chin is slightly elevated with the
neck slightly extended. The patient shall be
instructed to make a full inspiration from a
normal breathing pattern and then blow into
the apparatus, without interruption, as hard,
fast, and completely as possible. At least
three forced expirations shall be carried out.
During the maneuvers, the patient shall be
observed for compliance with instruction.
The expirations shall be checked visually for
reproducibility from flow-volume or volumetime tracings or displays. The following efforts shall be judged unacceptable when the
patient:
1. Has not reached full inspiration preceding the forced expiration,
2. Has not used maximal effort during the
entire forced expiration,
3. Has not continued the expiration for at
least 5 seconds or until an obvious plateau in
the volume time curve has occurred,
4. Has coughed or closed his glottis,
5. Has an obstructed mouthpiece or a leak
around the mouthpiece (obstruction due to
tongue being placed in front of mouthpiece,
false teeth falling in front of mouthpiece,
etc.)
6. Has an unsatisfactory start of expiration, one characterized by excessive hesitation (or false starts), and therefore not allowing back extrapolation of time 0 (extrapolated volume on the volume time tracing
must be less than 10 percent of the FVC.)
7. Has an excessive variability between the
three acceptable curves. The variation between the two largest FVC’s and FEV1’s of
the three satisfactory tracings should not
exceed 10 percent or ±100 milliliters, whichever is greater.
b. Periodic and routine recalibration of the
instrument or method for recording FVC and
FEV1.0 should be performed using a syringe
or other volume source of at least 2 liters.

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor

two AD’s must be arranged together in such
a way that they are measuring essentially
the same dust levels.
b. Data averaging—The two VE readings
taken at each site are then averaged. These
averages are to be used as the 100 VE readings. If two alternate devices were used,
their test results are also averaged. Thus,
after this step is accomplished, there will be
100 VE readings and 100 AD readings.
c. Differences—For each of the 100 sets of
measurements (VE and AD) the difference is
obtained as the average VE reading minus
the AD reading. Call these differences Di.
Thus, we have.
Di = VEi ¥ ADi, i = 1,2, . . . ,100

XD =

IV. QUALIFICATIONS OF PERSONNEL
ADMINISTERING THE TEST

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APPENDIX E TO § 1910.1043—VERTICAL
ELUTRIATOR EQUIVALENCY PROTOCOL
a. Samples to be taken—In order to ascertain
equivalency, it is necessary to collect a total
of 100 samples from at least 10 sites in a mill.
That is, there should be 10 replicate readings
at each of 10 sites. The sites should represent
dust levels which vary over the allowable
range of 0.5 to 2 times the permissible exposure limit. Each sample requires the use of
two vertical elutriators (VE’s) and at least
one but not more than two alternative devices (AD’s). Thus, the end result is 200 VE
readings and either 100 or 200 AD readings.
The 2 VE readings and the 1 or 2 AD readings
at each time and site must be made simultaneously. That is, the two VE’s and one or

SD =

∑

1
N

2
Di

N

∑ Di

(2)

i =1

(∑ D i )
−

2

N

(3)

N −1

where N equals the number of differences
(100 in this case), XD is the arithmetic mean
and SD is the standard deviation.
We next calculate the critical value as
¯ D| where K=1.87, based on 100 samT=KSD+|X
ples.
d. Equivalency test. The next step is to obtain the average of the 100 VE readings. This
is obtained by equation (4)

X VE =


1 N
VE i 
∑

n  i =1


( 4)

¯ VE. If T ≤ 0.25
We next multiply 0.25 by X
¯ VE, we can say that the alternate device has
X
passed the equivalency test.
[43 FR 27394, June 23, 1978; 43 FR 35035, Aug.
8, 1978, as amended at 45 FR 67340, Oct. 10,
1980; 50 FR 51173, Dec. 13, 1985; 51 FR 24325,
July 3, 1986; 54 FR 24334, June 7, 1989; 61 FR
5508, Feb. 13, 1996; 63 FR 1290, Jan. 8, 1998; 65
FR 76567, Dec. 7, 2000; 70 FR 1142, Jan. 5, 2005;
71 FR 16672, 16673, Apr. 3, 2006; 71 FR 50189,
Aug. 24, 2006]

§ 1910.1044 1,2-dibromo-3chloropropane.
(a) Scope and application. (1) This section applies to occupational exposure
to 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP).
(2) This section does not apply to:

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EC28OC91.039

Technicians who perform pulmonary function testing should have the basic knowledge
required to produce meaningful results.
Training consisting of approximately 16
hours of formal instruction should cover the
following areas.
a. Basic physiology of the forced vital capacity maneuver and the determinants of
airflow limitation with emphasis on the relation to reproducibility of results.
b. Instrumentation requirements including
calibration procedures, sources of error and
their correction.
c. Performance of the testing including
subject coaching, recognition of improperly
performed maneuvers and corrective actions.
d. Data quality with emphasis on reproducibility.
e. Actual use of the equipment under supervised conditions.
f. Measurement of tracings and calculations of results.

(1)

Next we compute the arithmetic mean and
standard deviations of the differences, using
equations (2) and (3), respectively.

EC28OC91.038

III. INTERPRETATION OF SPIROGRAM

a. The first step in evaluating a spirogram
should be to determine whether or not the
patient has performed the test properly or as
described in II above. From the three satisfactory tracings, the forced vital capacity
(FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.0) shall be measured and recorded.
The largest observed FVC and largest observed FEV1 shall be used in the analysis regardless of the curve(s) on which they occur.
b. The following guidelines are recommended by NIOSH for the evaluation and
management of workers exposed to cotton
dust. It is important to note that employees
who show reductions in FEV1/FVC ratio
below .75 or drops in Monday FEV1 of 5 percent or greater on their initial screening
exam, should be re-evaluated within a month
of the first exam. Those who show consistent
decrease in lung function, as shown on the
following table, should be managed as recommended.

§ 1910.1044