The Effect of Wearing Different Types of Respirators on Postural Stability and Comfort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akbar-Khanzadeh F ; Huang K ; Woolley SM
• Description:
  Respirators are commonly used to protect workers against workplace airborne contaminants, but this equipment may become a safety hazard by creating discomfort, disorientation and postural instability. Although postural stability is critical to workers, especially those working near moving objects or on surfaces where a loss of balance may become life threatening, little attention has been given to the effect of respirators on wearers' postural stability. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of wearing a half-mask respirator, a full-face respirator, a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and no-respirator on postural stability, using computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). The subjects' perception of comfort was also assessed. Over 60% of the subjects reported that wearing a respirator was uncomfortable and 20% felt that they had difficulty balancing while wearing the SCBA. The half-mask respirators, full-face respirators or SCBA did not produce any differences in postural stability over a baseline (no-respirator). However, the subjects expressed concerns with comfort. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Author Keywords: Respirator Comfort Equipment Design Personal Protective Equipment Postural Balance Posture PPE Respirators Respirator Testing Respiratory Protective Equipment SCBA Self Contained Breathing Apparatus

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• ISSN:
  2008-5109
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  32-38
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054433
• Citation:
  Int J Occup Hyg 2012 Jul; 4(2):32-38
• Contact Point Address:
  Farhang Akbar-Khanzadeh, Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Toledo, Ohio, 43614 USA
• Email:
  Farhang.Akbar@utoledo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Occupational Hygiene
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c75888b01349cec1f6d0cb45c8a0e38d9f682e93b3a528b7a39584c3d7df2dcf9a85cc9ee1a2f2e47e7bb93c0fa59a4ae52c85c0f1a141725360e0310905f4da
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217003/cdc_217003_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 574.38 KB ]