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Dräger test bench with a headform for checking breathing-apparatus masks and sets at the Houghton-le-Spring mines rescue station. England, 2013.

Equipment

Standards and regulations

Dräger test bench with a headform for checking breathing-apparatus masks and sets at the Houghton-le-Spring mines rescue station. England, 2013. · Photo: Robertforsythe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Breathing apparatus, gas detectors and protective suits are built, tested and used according to a small set of standards and regulations. This page lists the most important ones by subject and by system, with their status and a short note on what each covers. It describes the documents; it does not reproduce them.

How to read this list

A regulation is law: it is binding on employers or manufacturers. A standard is a voluntary technical document written by a standards body; it becomes binding when a regulation, a contract or an approval scheme refers to it. Guidance — accident insurance rules, codes of practice, service regulations — explains how to meet the law in practice.

  • European Union. Breathing apparatus and chemical suits are category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. European (EN) standards whose references are published in the Official Journal are harmonised: a product that meets them is presumed to meet the regulation. The current list is Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1279, amended by (EU) 2026/1971 (European Commission). National bodies publish ENs unchanged as DIN EN, NF EN, UNE-EN and so on.
  • United States. Respirators used at work must be approved by NIOSH under 42 CFR Part 84; OSHA requires employers to use approved devices. NFPA standards are voluntary consensus documents: fire services and authorities adopt them, and products are certified to them by independent certification bodies — in addition to, not instead of, NIOSH approval.
  • Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. The mandatory requirements are set by the technical regulation ТР ТС 019/2011 on the safety of personal protective equipment. Interstate (ГОСТ) and national (ГОСТ Р) standards are voluntary but are used to demonstrate conformity.
  • Germany. Besides DIN EN standards, the rules and principles of the statutory accident insurance (DGUV) and, for fire brigades, the service regulation FwDV 7 govern the use of breathing apparatus.

Respiratory protection

European and international standards (EN, ISO)

  • EN 137:2006 — Respiratory protective devices — Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask — Requirements, testing, marking. CEN. Current and harmonised; a revision (prEN 137) went to public enquiry in 2025. The basic standard for the compressed air breathing apparatus used for work and rescue: performance, breathing resistance, warning device, practical performance tests. DIN Media
  • EN 145:1997+A1:2000 — Respiratory protective devices — Self-contained closed-circuit breathing apparatus compressed oxygen or compressed oxygen-nitrogen type — Requirements, testing, marking. CEN. Current and harmonised. Covers the long-duration rebreathers used in mine rescue and other extended operations. DIN Media
  • EN 136:1998 (with corrigendum AC:2003) — Respiratory protective devices — Full face masks — Requirements, testing, marking. CEN. Current and harmonised. Defines three classes of full face mask; class 3 is the heavy-duty class used by fire and rescue services. DIN Media
  • EN 402:2003 — Lung governed demand self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus with full face mask or mouthpiece assembly for escape. CEN. Current and harmonised. Escape sets only, not for work or rescue. DIN Media
  • EN 1146:2005 — Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus incorporating a hood for escape. CEN. Current and harmonised. Compressed air escape hoods, often used to protect casualties. DIN Media
  • EN 13794:2002 — Self-contained closed-circuit breathing apparatus for escape. CEN. Current and harmonised; a revision (prEN 13794:2024) is at draft stage. Chemical-oxygen and compressed-oxygen self-rescuers; it replaced the older EN 400 and EN 1061. DIN Media
  • EN 403:2004 — Respiratory protective devices for self-rescue — Filtering devices with hood for escape from fire. CEN. Current and harmonised. Filtering fire escape hoods: they depend on the ambient air and give no protection against oxygen deficiency. DIN Media
  • EN 14593-1:2018 — Compressed air line breathing devices with demand valve — Part 1: Devices with a full face mask. CEN. Current; the harmonised reference still cites the 2005 edition. Part 2 (half mask at positive pressure, 2005) has been withdrawn without a direct successor. DIN Media
  • EN 12021:2014 — Respiratory equipment — Compressed gases for breathing apparatus. CEN. Current and harmonised. Quality limits for breathing air and other breathing gases, including oil, water and carbon dioxide content. DIN Media
  • ISO 17420 series — Respiratory protective devices — Performance requirements: Part 1 General (2021), Part 4 Supplied breathable gas RPD (2021), Part 6 Special application escape (2021). ISO. Current. A performance-based international system built on human factors; it has not replaced the EN standards in Europe. ISO 17420-1, ISO 17420-4, ISO 17420-6

United States (NIOSH, NFPA)

  • 42 CFR Part 84 — Approval of Respiratory Protective Devices. Federal regulation administered by NIOSH. In force. Sets the approval tests and quality requirements for all respirators used at work, including SCBA and escape devices. eCFR
  • NFPA 1970 (2025 edition) — Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting, Work Apparel, Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services, and Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS). NFPA. Current; next edition planned for 2029. It consolidated NFPA 1971, 1975, 1981 (SCBA, last edition 2019) and 1982 (PASS). NFPA

Russia and EAEU (ГОСТ, ГОСТ Р)

  • ГОСТ Р 53255-2019 — Fire equipment. Self-contained open-circuit compressed air breathing apparatus. General technical requirements. Test methods. Rosstandart. In force since 1 January 2022, replacing ГОСТ Р 53255-2009. Compressed air apparatus for firefighters. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ Р 53256-2019 — Fire equipment. Self-contained closed-circuit breathing apparatus with compressed oxygen. General technical requirements. Test methods. In force since 1 January 2022, replacing the 2009 edition. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ Р 53257-2019 — Fire fighting equipment. Face masks of respiratory protective devices. General technical requirements. Test methods. In force since 1 January 2022. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ 12.4.238-2015 — Occupational safety standards system. Respiratory protective devices. Self-contained compressed air apparatus. Requirements, test methods, marking, sampling rules. Interstate standard; in force since 1 June 2016. Compressed air apparatus for rescue work in buildings, industrial facilities and ships. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ Р 12.4.253-2011 — Self-contained compressed oxygen and chemical oxygen apparatus for mine rescuers. General specifications. In force. Closed-circuit apparatus for mine rescue and underground work, including mine fires. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ 12.4.292-2023 — Self-contained closed-circuit escape apparatus with chemically bonded or compressed oxygen. Requirements, test methods, marking, sampling rules. In force since 1 June 2023, replacing the 2015 edition; the national ГОСТ Р 12.4.220 on the same subject is cancelled. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ Р 53259-2019 and ГОСТ Р 53260-2019 — Fire self-rescuers with compressed air and with chemically bonded oxygen, for escape from smoke-filled buildings. In force since 1 January 2022. ГОСТ Р 53259, ГОСТ Р 53260
  • ГОСТ 12.4.293-2015 (EN 136:1998) — Respiratory protective devices. Masks. General specifications. In force since 1 June 2016; based on EN 136. gostinfo.ru

Gas detection

European and international standards (EN, IEC)

  • IEC 60079-29-0:2025, adopted in Europe as EN IEC 60079-29-0:2026 — Explosive atmospheres — Part 29-0: Gas detection equipment — General requirements and test methods. IEC / CENELEC. New. One document for flammable, oxygen and toxic gas detectors; at IEC level it cancels and replaces IEC 60079-29-1:2016 with its 2020 amendment and IEC 60079-29-4:2009. IEC
  • EN 60079-29-1:2016+A1:2022+A11:2022 — Explosive atmospheres — Part 29-1: Gas detectors — Performance requirements of detectors for flammable gases. CENELEC. Still listed as current in national catalogues during the transition to EN IEC 60079-29-0. DIN Media
  • EN 60079-29-2:2015 (IEC 60079-29-2:2015) — Explosive atmospheres — Part 29-2: Gas detectors — Selection, installation, use and maintenance of detectors for flammable gases and oxygen. Current. The user's guide: choosing instruments, alarm levels, checks and calibration. IEC
  • EN 50104:2019+A1:2023 — Electrical equipment for the detection and measurement of oxygen — Performance requirements and test methods. CENELEC. Current. Instruments that warn of oxygen deficiency or enrichment, up to 25 % by volume. DIN Media

Germany (DGUV, TRGS)

  • DGUV Information 213-056 (formerly T 021) — Gas detectors for toxic gases/vapours and oxygen — use and operation; and DGUV Information 213-057 (formerly T 023) — gas detectors for explosion protection. DGUV. Current. Practical rules for selection, bump tests, calibration and records. 213-056, 213-057
  • TRGS 900 — Arbeitsplatzgrenzwerte (occupational exposure limits). BAuA / Committee on Hazardous Substances. Edition 2006, last amended June 2026. The German limit values against which measurements at work are assessed. BAuA

Russia and EAEU (ГОСТ)

  • ГОСТ IEC 60079-29-1-2013 — Explosive atmospheres. Part 29-1. Gas detectors. Performance requirements of detectors for flammable gases. Interstate standard based on IEC 60079-29-1; in force since 15 February 2015. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ IEC 60079-29-2-2013 — Selection, installation, use and maintenance of detectors for flammable gases and oxygen. In force; to be replaced by ГОСТ IEC 60079-29-2-2024 from 1 January 2027. 2013, 2024

Chemical protective clothing

European standards (EN)

  • EN 943-1:2015+A1:2019 — Protective clothing against dangerous solid, liquid and gaseous chemicals, including liquid and solid aerosols — Part 1: Performance requirements for Type 1 (gas-tight) chemical protective suits. CEN. Current and harmonised. DIN Media
  • EN 943-2:2019 — Part 2: Performance requirements for Type 1 (gas-tight) chemical protective suits for emergency teams (ET). CEN. Current and harmonised. The higher level for hazmat and rescue teams. DIN Media
  • EN 14605:2005+A1:2009 — Protective clothing against liquid chemicals — Performance requirements for clothing with liquid-tight (Type 3) or spray-tight (Type 4) connections, including items providing protection to parts of the body only (Types PB [3] and PB [4]). CEN. Current and harmonised. DIN Media

United States (NFPA, OSHA)

  • NFPA 1990 (2022 edition) — Standard for Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials and CBRN Operations. NFPA. Current; the next edition is in development. It consolidated NFPA 1991 (vapour-protective), 1992 (liquid splash) and 1994 (CBRN). NFPA
  • 29 CFR 1910.120 — Hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER). OSHA regulation; in force. Appendix B describes the protection levels A to D for protective ensembles. OSHA

Russia and EAEU (ГОСТ)

  • ГОСТ 12.4.284.1-2021 (EN 943-1:2015+A1:2019) and ГОСТ 12.4.284.2-2021 (EN 943-2:2019) — gas-tight (Type 1) chemical protective suits, general and for emergency teams. In force since 1 October 2022. 12.4.284.1, 12.4.284.2
  • ГОСТ 12.4.258-2023 (EN 14605:2005+A1:2009) — Type 3 and Type 4 clothing against liquid chemicals. In force since 1 October 2024. gostinfo.ru

Confined spaces and rescue

United States (OSHA, MSHA, NFPA, ANSI/ASSP)

  • 29 CFR 1910.146 — Permit-required confined spaces. OSHA regulation; in force. Permit system, atmospheric testing, attendants and rescue arrangements for general industry. OSHA
  • 30 CFR Part 49 — Mine Rescue Teams. MSHA regulation; in force. Availability, equipment and training of mine rescue teams for underground metal and nonmetal mines (Subpart A) and coal mines (Subpart B). eCFR
  • NFPA 2500 (2027 edition) — Standard on Organizational Capabilities for Technical Search and Rescue and Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services. NFPA. Current. First published in 2022, consolidating NFPA 1670 (technical rescue operations), 1858 and 1983 (rope and equipment); confined space rescue is one of its disciplines. NFPA
  • NFPA 1006 (2027 edition) — Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications. NFPA. Current; it remains a separate document. Job performance requirements for rescuers, including confined space rescue. NFPA
  • NFPA 350 (2022 edition) — Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work. NFPA. Current. Good practice for hazard assessment, entry and rescue planning. NFPA
  • ANSI/ASSP Z117.1-2022 — Safety Requirements for Entering Confined Spaces. ASSP. Current. A consensus standard for entering, working in and leaving confined spaces at normal atmospheric pressure. ASSP
  • ANSI/ASSP Z390.1-2024 — Accepted Practices for Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) Training Programs. ASSP. Current; replaced the 2017 edition. ASSP

United Kingdom (HSE)

  • Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 with L101 Safe work in confined spaces — Approved Code of Practice and guidance, third edition (2014). HSE. In force. Regulations, L101

Germany (DGUV)

  • DGUV Regel 113-004 — Behälter, Silos und enge Räume, Teil 1: Arbeiten in Behältern, Silos und engen Räumen (vessels, silos and confined spaces). DGUV, edition February 2019. Current. The companion DGUV Grundsatz 313-002 covers the competent persons who test the atmosphere before entry. 113-004, 313-002

Russia (ГОСТ Р)

  • ГОСТ Р 12.0.330.1-2026 — Occupational safety standards system. Gas rescue operations. General requirements. Rosstandart. In force since 1 April 2026. Organisation of gas rescue work at hazardous production facilities and the structure, strength and equipment of gas rescue services. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ Р 22.8.10-2020 — Safety in emergencies. Gas rescue formations in organisations operating deposits with a high hydrogen sulfide content. In force since 1 June 2021. Applies to oil and gas fields with more than 6 % H₂S by volume. gostinfo.ru

Selection and use of respiratory protection, fit testing

European and international standards (EN, ISO)

  • EN 529:2005 — Respiratory protective devices — Recommendations for selection, use, care and maintenance — Guidance document. CEN. Current. The European guide to running a respiratory protection programme. DIN Media
  • ISO/TS 16975-1:2016 and ISO/TS 16975-2:2016 — Selection, use and maintenance — Part 1: Establishing and implementing a respiratory protective device programme; Part 2: Condensed guidance. ISO. Current (confirmed in 2020). Part 1, Part 2
  • ISO 16975-3:2017 — Selection, use and maintenance — Part 3: Fit-testing procedures. ISO. Current. Qualitative and quantitative fit test methods for tight-fitting facepieces, operator competence and records. ISO

United States (OSHA, ANSI/ASSP, NFPA)

  • 29 CFR 1910.134 — Respiratory protection. OSHA regulation; in force. Requires a written programme, NIOSH-certified respirators, a fit test before first use and at least annually, and for atmospheres immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) at least one trained person standing by outside. OSHA
  • ANSI/ASSP Z88.2-2015 — Practices for Respiratory Protection. ASSP. Current. Consensus practice for respiratory protection programmes. ASSP
  • NFPA 1850 (2026 edition) — Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting and Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). NFPA. Current. It replaced NFPA 1851 and NFPA 1852. NFPA

Germany (DGUV, FwDV)

  • DGUV Regel 112-190 — Benutzung von Atemschutzgeräten (use of respiratory protective devices). DGUV, edition November 2021. Current. Selection, limits of use, wearing times and maintenance intervals at work. DGUV
  • DGUV Grundsatz 312-190 — Ausbildung, Fortbildung und Unterweisung im Atemschutz (training and instruction in respiratory protection). DGUV, edition March 2021. Current. DGUV
  • FwDV 7 — Atemschutz. Fire service regulation, edition 2002 with amendments of 2005, introduced by each federal state. Breathing apparatus use, team composition and monitoring in fire brigades. Bavaria

United Kingdom (HSE)

  • HSG53 — Respiratory protective equipment at work: a practical guide. HSE, fourth edition (2013). Current. Selection, fit testing, use and maintenance. HSE

Russia and EAEU (ГОСТ)

  • ГОСТ 12.4.299-2015 — Respiratory protective devices. Recommendations for selection, use and maintenance. Interstate standard; in force since 1 June 2016. A guide to setting up a respiratory protection programme at industrial enterprises. gostinfo.ru
  • ГОСТ 12.4.034-2017 — Respiratory protective equipment. Classification and marking. In force since 1 July 2018, replacing the 2001 edition. gostinfo.ru

See also: equipment, maintenance, confined space entry, organisations.