question: Can employees choose to wear respirators when not required by the employer?
answer: In situations where the use of a respirator is not required either by the employer or by an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard, the employer may still offer filtering facepiece respirators or permit employees to use their own respirators as long as the employer determines that such respirator use will not in itself create a hazard. This is considered voluntary use under the Respiratory Protection Standard. CDC encourages employers to permit workers to voluntarily use filtering facepiece respirators like N95s. If an employer allows voluntary use of filtering facepiece respirators, the employer must provide users with 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix D – Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard. See 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2) for additional requirements applicable to voluntary respirator use. Healthcare personnel, both paid and unpaid, should be allowed to bring their own highly protective masks (such as N95 respirators) as long as the mask does not violate the facility’s safety and health requirements. They should not be asked to remove their more protective source control device (a well-fitting N95 respirator, for example) for a less protective device (such as a procedure mask) unless the mask or respirator is visibly soiled, damaged, or hard to breathe through. However, devices brought from home may not be appropriate for protecting healthcare personnel from all job hazards, and they should change to recommended personal protective equipment when indicated (for instance, before entering the room of a patient managed with Transmission-Based Precautions). Learn more about the types of masks and respirators and infection control recommendations for healthcare personnel.