Respirator Use in the Work Environment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harber PI
• Description:
  Respirators (respiratory personal protective devices) continue to be vital part of the worker protection programs. Although respirators should never be used as a cheap substitute for proper engineering controls, there are certain work situations in which their use is likely to continue to be important. These situations include special maintenance and repair operations, highly variable work environments (e.g., in the construction industry), and management of emergencies (for emergency escape or control of accidental hazardous leaks). Respirators fall into two general categories: air purifying, which filter or chemically adsorb some of the toxic material from the air breathed by the worker, and atmosphere supplying, which provide an independent air source. Atmosphere-supplying respirators may be self-contained (SCBA), may rely upon an external source (airline respirators), or represent a combination. Atmosphere-supplying respirators must be used in particularly toxic atmospheres or those in which the ambient oxygen concentration is low (immediately dangerous to life and health). SCBA devices are quite heavy, and the weight of the device itself imposes a physiologic load that may be greater than that of the respirator itself. The efficacy of respirators is commonly quantified as the protection factor (ratio of the toxic material outside to inside the facepiece). Unfortunately, protection factors measured during simulated exposures may overestimate the actual protection afforded in the worksite. Respirator protection is limited by air leaks into the facepiece as well as by the efficacy of the filtration/adsorption system itself. There is considerable debate in the scientific literature and among regulatory agencies about the proper means of assuring adequate respirator fit. In a qualitative fit test, an irritant smoke or odoriferous material is placed outside the mask of the respirator, and the worker is asked whether he/she can detect it. Quantitative fit testing is considerably more accurate and directly estimates the protection factor for the individual worker. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Fit Testing Occupational Exposure Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirators Respiratory Protective Equipment SCBA Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Work Environment
• ISSN:
  0003-0805
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  138
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058586
• Citation:
  Am Rev Respir Dis 1988 Oct; 138(4):1048-1050
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1989
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19840801
• Source Full Name:
  American Review of Respiratory Disease
• End Date:
  19970331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:532c622edcc504239e1c7a717bcf20139b320ab783bdf46bee3e6ad68f9b00aea20dc5f5af61c6f217862a5efbe32f57bf3b29db039db95cadd0c01f87a3ee17
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221645/cdc_221645_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 799.26 KB ]