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Respirator Styles
Disposable (Air Purifying)
These maintenance-free respirators have many advantages such as
comfort, lightweight materials, availability of adjustable straps, as
well as overall economy. And depending on your applications, you can
select a respirator that offers the features and technologies that best
meet your needs.
Reusable (Air Purifying)
These respirators are specifically designed to offer versatility,
comfort and long life. Suitable for either negative or positive
pressure uses, they can use filters and/or cartridges in a wide variety
of combinations for a wide range of applications.
Maintenance-Free (Air Purifying) Respirators
These APR's come already assembled with a variety of gas or
chemical cartridges. Filters are also available for additional
protection against particulates and other nuisance odors. These
respirators are economically priced to be disposed of after their
predetermined usage.
Low-Maintenance (Air Purifying) Respirators
Combining flexibility and economy, these respirators give you
affordable protection with the flexibility
of reusable respirators. They also give you the ability to interchange
cartridges, filters, and prefilters to give you the protection you need
at a price that is right.
Powered (Air Purifying) Respirators – PAPR
A PAPR is a motorized (battery powered) air system that delivers a
continuous flow of filtered air. These systems come available with a
variety of head protection options; hoods, helmets and facepieces.
Select the best option that lends itself to the environment.
Supplied Air & Airline Respirators
These respirators are designed to deliver clean air to the worker.
The air can be supplied from high pressure, low pressure, or cylinder
sources. A variety of headgear are available; hoods, helmets, and
facepieces. These respirators add comfort and protection.
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus – SCBA
These systems are designed to let users transport their own supply
of air. With a variety of harness and cylinder choices, an SCBA gives
the protection needed in most oxygen deficient or IDLH situations that
typically take place in confined space environments.
Emergency Escape only Breathing Apparatus – EBA
These lightweight systems utilize small air tanks for quick,
comfortable and safe exits from IDLH
atmospheres, as well as, confined spaces. These compact systems can be
donned and put into use within a matter of seconds which helps expedite
the departure from within dangerous environments.
OSHA Top 10 List
Top 10 things an employer needs to
know about 29 CFR 1910.134(C)(1)
The employer shall provide...
1. And implement a written respiratory
protection program with
worksite-specific procedures.
This program shall be updated as
necessary to reflect changes in
workplace conditions. The employer
shall include in the program the
following provisions of this section,
as applicable...
2. Procedures for selecting respirators
for use in the workplace.
3. Medical evaluations of employees
required to use respirators.
4. Fit-testing procedures for tight-fitting
respirators.
5. Procedures for proper use of
respirators in routine and reasonably
foreseeable emergency situations.
6. Procedures and schedules for the
cleaning, disinfecting, storing,
inspecting, repairing, discarding,
and otherwise maintaining
of respirators.
7. Procedures to ensure adequate air
quality, quantity, and flow of
breathing air for atmospheresupplying
respirators.
8. Training of employees in the
respiratory hazards to which they are
potentially exposed during routine
and emergency situations.
9. Training of employees in the proper
use of respirators, including
putting on and removing them,
any limitations on their use, and
their maintenance.
10. Procedures for regularly evaluating
the effectiveness of the program.
Assesing Respiratory Hazards
AIR SAMPLING
Air sampling must be the first objective to analyze the potential
hazard(s). Using the proper air sampling or monitoring equipment,
samples should be taken within the breathing zone and should be
spot-checked as well as monitored continuously.
OXYGEN
Oxygen displacement may be a problem in a work area. Gases like
carbon dioxide, which can result in an atmosphere that is dangerous or
fatal if inhaled, may displace oxygen. But oxygen levels can also be
depleted by rust, corrosion, fermentation and other forms of
oxidization that consumes oxygen. Oxygen levels that drop below 20.8%
are a concern. When levels drop below 19.6% the air is considered
deficient; and when they’re under 16% the air is unsafe for human
exposure.
PARTICULATES
Particulates are classified according to their physical and chemical
characteristics and their effects on the body. They’re measured in
microns (1 micron=1/2540 inch). That’s important because particulates
that are less than 10 microns have a fair chance of entering the body
through the respiratory system, and those under 5 microns can reach the
deeper parts of the lungs. Although a healthy body should naturally
expel particulates of five or ten microns, excessive particulate levels
reduce the lungs cleansing effectiveness and makes them inefficient.
Particulate contaminants are classified as fumes, dusts or mists.
-FUMES
When solid materials such as metals are heated and the cooled, portions
of the solids are vaporized into what are commonly called fumes.
Welding, cutting, smelting and casting molten metals create fumes with
particulate sizes often less than one micron.
-DUST
Minute airborne particulates that are created by the breaking up of
larger particles are simply called dust. Sanding, grinding, crushing,
and sand blasting create high levels of dust. Although dust particles
are generally larger than fume particulates (.5-10 microns), the hazard
comes from the overall high volume that is produced.
-MISTS
Atomizing, and then condensing of liquids create mists. Most often
caused by spraying, boiling or cleaning jobs, mists tend to be in the
5-10 micron range.
If any of these operations are involved in your overall
assessment, you might need to either change the environment or consider
the use of respiratory equipment.
GASES AND VAPORS
Gases and vapors are classified according to their chemical
characteristics. True gases, like air, can diffuse freely within an
area or a container. Commonly monitored gases include carbon dioxide
(CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), chlorine (CI2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Vapors are liquids or solids in the gaseous state formed at room
temperature during evaporation. Gasoline, solvents and thinners create
vapors.
ADEQUATE WARNING
Another element of hazard assessment is determining whether the
contaminant has adequate warning properties. If it doesn’t, then the
use of a respirator that utilizes a chemical cartridge or canister with
a service life indicator (warns when the service life is ready to
expire) or a documented change-out schedule (test results used to
determine service life) must be utilized.
RESPIRATOR SELECTION
If the work conditions cannot be changed to alleviate a hazard, proper
respiratory equipment must be selected. Respiratory equipment selection
is typically dictated by (1) the results of the sampling, (2) the
accepted authoritative guidelines and (3) the level of concentrations
of a given impurity the respirator can withstand. The ACGIH (American
Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists), OSHA and NIOSH each
have their own guidelines for determining the equipments abilities, and
all are based on what a normally healthy person can tolerate in an
eight hour work day and a five day work week. Most workplaces follow
the OSHA guidelines taken from the NIOSH standards.
Assessing hazards can be a detailed and ongoing process that
must be monitored for changes in processes and the environment.
However, a little training, proper documentation, the good monitoring
equipment and a commitment to schedule will make hazard assessment
routine and easy to maintain.
MSA Respiratory Protection Interactive Training
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