Respiratory Protective Equipment
The atmosphere of the workplace may contain harmful dusts, mists, fumes, gases or micro-organisms which could put employees’ health at risk in the short or long term. Employers should always aim to prevent atmospheric contamination by accepted engineering controls (eg enclosure, confined spaces, ventilation, substitution of hazardous materials). If prevention is not feasible or cannot be implemented whilst the work is being carried out then RPE may be required.
RPE consists of respiratory protective equipment and tight-fitting masks which can either be powered or non-powered. Powered respirators use an internal motor to pass air through the filters, giving a supply of breathing-quality air. Non-powered RPE is used when there is a sufficient supply of clean air available, usually from an independent source (eg compressed air cylinder or air compressor). Tight-fitting facepieces (often referred to as masks) rely on a good seal with the wearer’s face. These can be non-powered or powered and include filtering facepieces, half and full masks.
How to Choose the Right Respiratory Protective Equipment for Your Workplace
A face fit test should be carried out for all tight-fitting atmosphere-supplying and powered respiratory protection equipment. This is because facial anthropometric dimensions vary between males and females, and also between racial/ethnic groups. Standard ISO/TS 16976-2 Respiratory protective devices – Human factors – Part 2: Anthropometrics provides information on face mask fitting and the design of a respirator to take these differences into account.
Before an employee wears a specific RPE they must be trained in how to use it and must pass a written examination on the suitability of the device for their particular needs. They must also be provided with an end-of-service-life indicator or a means of warning the employee when their respirator is approaching saturation and should be replaced.…