B95: a new respirator for health care personnel

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davey VJ ; Eagan AE ; Gosch ME ; Radonovich LJ Jr. ; Roberge RJ ; Shaffer RE
• Description:
  Background: Respiratory protection relies heavily on user compliance to be effective, but compliance among health care personnel is less than ideal. Methods: In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs formed the Project Better Respiratory Equipment using Advanced Technologies for Healthcare Employees (BREATHE) Working Group, composed of a variety of federal stakeholders, to discuss strategies for improving respirator compliance, including the need for more comfortable respirators. Results: The Working Group developed 28 desirable performance characteristics that can be grouped into 4 key themes: (1) respirators should perform their intended function safely and effectively; (2) respirators should support, not interfere, with occupational activities; (3) respirators should be comfortable and tolerable for the duration of wear; and (4) respiratory protective programs should comply with federal/state standards and guidelines and local policies. As a necessary next step, the Working Group identified the need for a new class of respirators, to be called "B95," which would better address the unique needs of health care personnel. Conclusion: This article summarizes the outputs of the Project BREATHE Working Group and provides a national strategy to develop clinically validated respirator test methods, to promulgate B95 respirator standards, and to invent novel design features, which together will lead to commercialized B95 respirators. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Respiratory Protection Health-care-personnel Infection-control Infection Control Infectious-diseases N95 Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respirators Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment

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• ISSN:
  0196-6553
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Florida ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  41
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043409
• Citation:
  Am J Infect Control 2013 Dec; 41(12):1224-1230
• Contact Point Address:
  Megan Gosch, MPH, 1601 Southwest Archer Road (151B) Gainesville, FL 32608
• Email:
  Megan.Gosch@va.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Infection Control
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:633448f13625c4f67ed1c3a654b8e8936b8c05464587bad39c7100648a0e9a656f4226b2cf7a8ce89b8e3351e5f91e5d554274d00010ee0ca0ae80cd2d9fb2cf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195305/cdc_195305_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 501.61 KB ]