Be Careful When Purchasing Respirators
Some supply distributors are selling counterfeit respirators that are falsely being sold as NIOSH- approved and may not be capable of providing appropriate respiratory protection to workers.
NIOSH-approved respirators have an approval label on or within the packaging of the respirator (i.e. on the box or within the user instructions). Additionally, an abbreviated approval is on the FFR (filtering facepiece respirator) itself. You can verify the approval number on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List or the NIOSH Trusted-Source page to determine if the respirators you are intending to purchase have been approved by NIOSH. NIOSH-approved FFRs will always have one of the following designations: N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, or P100.
Signs a respirator may be counterfeit:
No markings at all on the filtering facepiece respirator
No approval number on the filtering facepiece respirator or headband
No NIOSH markings
NIOSH spelled incorrectly
Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g. sequins)
Claims for the approval for children (NIOSH does not approve any type of respiratory protection for children)
Filtering facepiece respirator has ear loops instead of headbands
Before buying large quantities of respirators from a third-party marketplace or unfamiliar website, look for the following possible warning signs:
Third-party marketplaces
If a listing claims to be “legitimate” or “genuine,” it probably isn’t
Examine transactions history and feedback/comments section if possible
Are there fluctuations of items traded over time (high and low periods of transactions)?
Are there price deviations and fluctuations (is it too good to be true)?
Look at the quantity a seller has in stock (advertising unlimited stock could be an indication the respirators are not approved)
Does the seller break marketplace policy and hide their contact information within images to circumvent filters?
On websites
Is the primary contact email address connected to the website or is it a free email account?
Look for bad grammar, typos, and other errors
Watch for cookie-cutter websites, where sellers interchange several websites, making mistakes (mixed up logos, site partially unfinished, blank pages, a nonsense privacy policy, misspelling the domain)
If you are purchasing safety equipment for your employees (like respirators) and you find an incredible deal, do some further research before buying. Don’t put your limited resources and your employees at risk. Make sure the equipment has a proper NIOSH approval.
