Do all respirator cartridges need to meet the same standards, regardless of brand?

Assuming you are in the US, every part of your question is the responsibility of your employer to address. I don’t know what type of work you are doing, but it doesn’t really matter in this case. OSHA standards are written based on broad industry categories. 1910 is for general industry and 1926 is for construction. While there are many instances where standards can differ between the two of them, this is not one of those times. See THIS REGULATION for information on the respiratory protection standard.

If your employer is not providing you with the prescribed training/information then you should report them to OSHA. This is a regulation they tend to take very seriously. That means it is very likely that they will conduct an investigation. You can report anonymously, but my experience is that they don’t take those reports as seriously. Reports by confirmed current employees are taken much more seriously and are exponentially more likely to trigger an investigation.

I understand that it is very difficult to decide to pull that trigger for a variety of reasons, but your health is very important. Please don’t let a company take advantage of you or others. Respiratory protection is no joke, and the consequences of not doing it right may not show up for years.

/r/Tools Thread