Archive for September, 2010

Safety Supplies Michigan Tennessee Wisconsin – Amerisource Industrial Supply

When should a respirator be used?

Workers should use respirators for protection from contaminants in the air only if other hazard control methods are not practical or possible under the circumstances. Respirators should not be the first choice for respiratory protection in workplaces. They should only be used:

• when engineering or administrative controls are not technically feasible
• while engineering controls are being installed or repaired
• when emergencies or other temporary situations arise (e.g., maintenance operations).

How should you control respiratory hazards?

Respiratory hazards can include airborne contaminants such as dusts, mists, fumes, and gases, or oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Well designed and maintained engineering controls are the preferred methods of controlling worker exposure to hazardous contaminants in the air. These control methods include:

• mechanical ventilation
• enclosure or isolation of the process or work equipment
• proper control and use of process equipment, and
• process modifications including substitution of less hazardous materials where possible.

Administrative controls may be used in addition to engineering controls. Administrative controls limit workers’ exposures by scheduling reduced work times in contaminant areas or by implementing other such work rules. These control measures have many limitations because the hazard is not removed. Administrative controls are not generally favored because they can be difficult to implement, maintain and are not reliable.
Are there some things that you should know before you choose a respirator?

Employers should have a written respirator program that describes the proper procedures for selecting and operating respiratory protective equipment. The correct use of a respirator is just as important as selecting the proper respirator. Parts of the respirator program deal with finding out what hazards are present and how much protection that the workers will need. Other parts should describe how to wear and look after the respirator.

Without a complete respiratory protection program, people will probably not receive the best protection from a respirator even if it is the correct choice for a specific job. A respiratory protection program includes several components such as:

• hazard identification and control
• exposure assessment
• respirator selection
• respirator fit-testing
• training program
• inspection and record keeping
• cleaning and sanitizing respirators
• repairing and maintaining respirators
• proper storage of respirators
• health surveillance
• standard operating procedures (available in written form)
• program evaluation.

A physician should examine the medical and psychological fitness of workers. This should be done before they are assigned to work in areas where respirators may be required. The workers must be physically fit to carry out the work while wearing respiratory equipment. They must also be psychologically comfortable (e.g., not claustrophobic) about wearing respirators.

Workers with beards, long sideburns, or even a two-day stubble may not wear respirators because the hair breaks the seal between the skin and the respirator mask. Wearing eyeglasses would also break the respirator seal. This means that the respirator mask will “leak” and will not provide the needed respiratory protection. Also, if a worker has facial scars or an acne problem, the facial skin may not be able to form a good seal with a respirator mask.

What are the different classes of respirators?

                 

The two main types are air-purifying respirators (APRs) and supplied-air respirators (SARs).

Air-purifying respirators can remove contaminants in the air that you breathe by filtering out particulates (e.g., dusts, metal fumes, mists, etc.). Other APRs purify air by adsorbing gases or vapors on a sorbent (adsorbing material) in a cartridge or canister. They are tight-fitting and are available in several forms:

• mouth bit respirator (fits in the mouth and comes with a nose clip to hold nostrils closed – for escape purposes only)
• quarter-mask (covering the nose and mouth),
• half-face mask (covering the face from the nose to below the chin), or
• full face piece (covering the face from above the eyes to below the chin).

Respirators with a full face piece also protect the eyes from exposure to irritating chemicals.

Supplied-air respirators (SARs) supply clean air from a compressed air tank or through an air line. This air is not from the work room area. The air supplied in tanks or from compressors must meet certain standards for purity and moisture content (e.g., CSA Standard Z180.1-00: Compressed Breathing Air and Systems).

Supplied-air respirators may have either tight-fitting or loose-fitting respiratory inlets. Respirators with tight-fitting respiratory inlets have half or full face pieces. Types with loose-fitting respiratory inlets can be hoods or helmets that cover the head and neck, or loose-fitting face pieces with rubber or fabric side shields. These are supplied with air through airlines.

Examples of these classes of respirators include:

Air-purifying respirators (APRs):

• particulate respirators (previously called dust, fume, and mist respirators or masks),
• chemical cartridge respirators that can have a combination of chemical cartridges, along with a dust prefilter: this combination provides protection against different kinds of contaminants in the air
• gas masks (contain more adsorbent than cartridge-type respirators and can provide a higher level of protection than chemical cartridge respirators)
• powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs).

Supplied-air respirators (SARs):

• self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA),
• airline supplied-air respirators,
• protective suits that totally encapsulate the wearer’s body and incorporate a life-support system.

There are some combinations of airline respirators and SCBAs that allow workers to work for extended periods in oxygen-deficient areas or where there are airborne toxic contaminants. The auxiliary or backup SCBA source allows the worker to escape with an emergency source of air if the airline source fails.

There are also combination air-purifying and atmosphere supplying respirators. These will offer worker protection if the supplied-air system fails, if the appropriate air-purifier units are selected. These cannot be used in oxygen-deficient areas or where the air concentration of a contaminant exceeds the IDLH level (i.e., immediately dangerous to life or health).
How do you select the right respirator?

Choosing a respirator is a complicated matter. Experienced safety professionals or occupational hygienists, who are familiar with the actual workplace environment, are the staff who should select the proper respirator. They can choose a suitable respirator only after they have evaluated all relevant factors. This includes considering the limitations of each class of respirator.

Before the proper respirator can be selected for a job, be sure you have already:

• identified the respiratory hazard.
• evaluated the hazard.
• considered whether engineering controls are feasible.

There are too many types of situations to cover them all fully here. However, the following questions represent part of “decision logic” that a safety professional or occupational hygienist can use when selecting a respirator:

• Is it to be used in firefighting or emergencies?
• Is it to be used in oxygen-deficient atmospheres (less than 18% oxygen in air; some jurisdictions say below 19.5%)?
• What is the nature of the hazard (chemical properties, concentration in the air, warning properties)?
• Is the airborne contaminant a gas, vapor or particulate (mist, dust or fume)?
• Are the airborne levels below or above the exposure limit, or are they above levels that could be immediately dangerous to life or health?
• What are the health effects of the airborne contaminant (carcinogenic, potentially lethal, irritating to eyes, absorbed through the skin)?
• What are the characteristics of the operation or the process (e.g., hot temperature, confined space)?
• What activities will the worker be doing while wearing the respirator (e.g., strenuous work)?
• How long will the worker need to wear the respirator?
• Does the selected respirator fit the worker properly?
• Where is the nearest safe area that has respirable air?

DISPOSABLE RESPIRATOR Q & A

What is the difference between a disposable respirator and a “dust mask”?

By outward appearance there may not seem to be much difference between a disposable

respirator and a dust mask, but the similarities stop there. Unlike a dust mask, respirators are certified by the US government to ensure that they meet specified minimum filtration

requirements as well as specific manufacturing quality levels. Disposable respirators are often referred to as “N95s” because this is their classification by the US Government. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the agency that tests and approves respirators. A respirator that has NIOSH approval will say so on the packaging. Many dust masks or medical facemasks, which are not approved as respirators, do not seal tightly to the face allowing airborne hazards to enter the breathing zone. Even those facemasks that appear to seal tightly to the face have not been designed to protect the wearer from airborne hazards. Therefore, they should not be considered an equivalent substitute for government approved respirators.  Sometimes when documents say to use a “dust mask” what they really mean is a disposable respirator. If you are trying to reduce the number of particles that reach your lungs, you should use a NIOSH approved respirator. If the product is not approved by NIOSH, you should not use it to help protect your lungs from dust.

Can N95 respirators filter particles that are really small like smoke, soot and ash?

Yes. Particulate filters employ multiple mechanisms that are effective at filtering a range of particles that include those so small you cannot see them. In fact, as part of their certification process, NIOSH tests particulate respirators against submicron particles in the size ranges of smoke, soot and ash.

What should I do to become familiar with the respirator and how to use it?

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the respirator User Instructions and to practice putting on the respirator in a clean area before you start working in the contaminated area.

Who should not wear respirators?

If you have pre-existing lung disease such as asthma or emphysema, underlying heart disease such as heart failure or other health conditions, you may have difficulty breathing through some respirators and should consult your healthcare provider (doctor) before use.

People with facial hair in the area where the respirator touches the face should not wear N95 or other NIOSH respirators requiring a snug fit to the face unless they shave those areas of their face.

Can children wear respirators?

Disposable respirators are designed for adult faces and not for children. Very young children, or children with very small faces, may not be able to achieve a good fit. In addition, children may not be able to follow the fit instructions or to keep the respirator on their face during the entire time they are in a contaminated area. Children under three should not wear a respirator or mask as it may be a suffocation or choking risk. Contact your local health authority if you have questions about children’s health.

What is a type N95 respirator?

N95 is one of nine classifications for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified particulate respirators. N95 rated filters have a filtration efficiency of at least 95% against solid and liquid particles that do not contain oil.

Does 95% efficient mean that 5% of the particles get through my respirator filter?

Respirators are designed to help reduce, not eliminate, exposures to airborne hazards. N95 rated respirators have a filtration efficiency of at least 95% against solid and liquid particles that do not contain oil when tested using the NIOSH criteria. However, the efficiency of the filter material alone does not determine the overall reduction in airborne hazards provided by a respirator. The other determinant in reducing exposure is fit. If a respirator does not seal properly to the face, airborne hazards can penetrate or enter underneath the face piece seal and into the breathing zone. To gain the maximum benefit from the respirator (e.g. achieve the greatest reduction in exposure), follow the instructions on how to put on the respirator, do the user seal check (fit check) and make sure you are clean shaven and that no clothing or jewelry gets between the respirator and your skin. There are other factors that may reduce respirator performance such as poor maintenance, failure to follow manufacturer’s instructions, and failure to wear the respirator during the entire exposure period. It is important to remember putting the respirator on correctly means more of the air you breathe goes through the respirator filter.

WARNINGS

1.   Failure to properly select the appropriate respirator or glove for all the contaminants and concentrations against which protection is required, or a failure to follow North’s instructions and warnings, will expose the respirator user to hazardous materials, and the risk of serious illness, disability or death.

2.   Do not use any air-purifying respirator for protection against:

    Any atmosphere having less than the equivalent of 19.5 % oxygen by volume at sea level.

    Air contaminants other than those listed on the air-purifying elements and on the NIOSH Approval Label which is supplied with each respirator and replacement air-purifying element.

    Concentrations of any substances greater than the maximum use concentrations for the specific type of respirator as shown in applicable OSHA or EPA regulations, in any applicable NIOSH publication, the contaminant Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), or a pesticide label.  For example, OSHA prohibits the use of disposable respirators in asbestos environments.

    Atmospheres containing oil unless a NIOSH “R’ or “P” class filter is used.

    Gas or vapor contaminants unless the air-purifying elements are equipped with End-of-Service-Life-Indicators for that contaminant; or a cartridge change schedule is implemented based on objective service data.

    Gas or vapor contaminants which are sensory desensitizers.

    Gases or vapors which generate high heats of reaction with the sorbent material in the cartridge.

    Gases or vapors which are not adsorbed by the sorbent material in the cartridge (e.g. Methanol).

3.   Do not use a tight fitting respirator that has not been fit tested on the wearer.  Fit testing of a potential wearer must be conducted before he / she is allowed to wear any tight fitting respirator.  Fit testing instructions are given in Appendix A of OSHA Regulation 29 CFR §1910.134. Carefully follow the instructions for conducting periodic user seal checks contained in the Instructions for Use which accompanies each respirator to make certain that the respirator face piece-to-face seal has not been compromised and that the respirator operates properly.

4.   Do not use any air-purifying respirator when conditions prevent a good face piece-to-face seal. Examples of such conditions are:

    the growth of beards, mustaches or sideburns which will pass between the face piece sealing area and the face;

    the use of spectacles, goggles or other devices which interfere with the respirator;

    the use of head or face coverings which pass between the face piece sealing area and the face; and

    missing teeth or dentures, facial deformities or deep scars.

5.   Do not use an air purifying elements having End-of-Service-Life Indicators if you cannot see the End-of-Service-Life Indicators while wearing the respirator.

6.   Do not alter or modify a respirator in any way.

7.   Do not use any supplied air respirator without it being supplied with an adequate volume of Grade D or better breathing air.

8.   Immediately leave the area and remove the respirator if :

    breathing becomes difficult.

    dizziness or other distress occurs.

    the wearer senses irritation, smells or tastes the contaminants.

    the air-purifying element is equipped with an End-of-Service-Life Indicator which has changed color to indicate expiration.

    the respirator becomes damaged.; or

    the air supply fails.

9.   Immediately leave the area and remove the gloves if

    they become punctured, torn or otherwise ruptured

    contaminant breakthrough occurs

10.  Any air-purifying respirator, when properly selected and fitted, will significantly reduce, but will not completely eliminate, the breathing of contaminant(s) by the respirator wearer. When working in atmospheres containing substances which are reported to cause cancer in amounts below the permissible exposure limit, the wearer will obtain better protection from a continuous flow or positive pressure air supplied respirator or self-contained breathing apparatus (an SCBA).

11.  Gloves do not provide unlimited protection against all chemicals (including chemical mixtures) in the environment of intended use.

12.  A respirator does not provide protection to exposed areas of the body. If the contaminated atmosphere contains vapors, gases or airborne particulate matter which may either irritate or burn the eyes or the skin, or can be absorbed by the body through penetration of the skin, the use of a full face piece or specialized eye protection, hand and/or body coverings may be required for protection.