Page 60 - Occupational Health & Safety, July 2017

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
Emergency Escape Respirators
Time, efficiency, and protection become key factors the right respirator selection can address before a worker is ever faced with an emergency situation.
2. Are there any specific hazards they should be on the lookout for when performing a PHA?
While specifics will vary from work site to work site, there are three common respiratory dangers a PHA can help identify—risk of fire, release of toxins, and volatility of the environment.
Fire is a potential risk in virtually any industrial setting, but it’s especially relevant when workers are exposed to heavy smoke accumulations. The National Fire Protection Association reports most fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation, not burns.1 As a result, industries using high heat processes or flam- mable materials should be fully prepared for fire haz- ards by equipping themselves with appropriate safety solutions, and any devices used should be durable and heat-resistant.
The PHA sheds light on the various tox- ins workers may encounter, thus leading safety managers to compare respirator types and APFs against those dangers which workers may be exposed to in a given situation.
The release of toxins includes the emission of chemical, vapor, or gas from processes at high con- centrations. Examples may include hydrogen sulfide, which can be present at an oil drilling rig; other toxins such as chlorine, which is found in disinfectants, or ammonia, which aids in the manufacturing of plastics or water purification, are frequently found in the food and beverage industry. The PHA sheds light on the various toxins workers may encounter, thus leading safety managers to compare respirator types and APFs against those dangers which workers may be exposed to in a given situation.
The third common risk to consider is the envi- ronment’s volatility. It’s important to bear in mind how working in certain situations increases the pos- sibility of an atmospheric change, which plays a large role in respirator selection. For example, in confined spaces, conditions can rapidly change—toxins can accumulate or oxygen-deficient environments can cause asphyxiation. As a result, time, efficiency, and protection become key factors the right respirator selection can address before a worker is ever faced with an emergency situation. Safety managers should take into account how much breathing air a worker requires to escape varying concentration levels, how quickly a worker can don the device, and how robust and reliable the device is from guarding against the applicable gases, vapors, and particles.
56 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY 2017
www.ohsonline.com
This article is a Q&A with Paula Varsamis, who is Product Portfolio Manager, Breathing Protection at Draeger, Inc. She specializes in respiratory protection, escape, and industrial breathing apparatuses.
1. What are the most frequently asked questions you hear from safety managers regarding respira- tory protection?
When it comes to respiratory protection, safety managers are frequently searching for the best—and safest—respirator for their specific work environment, which boils down to proper selection. And while they may often juggle a multitude of questions on which types of respirators should be selected for everyday use, there also seems to be uncertainty around the best practices they can apply when choosing the cor- rect emergency escape solution, as well.
In order to effectively identify the right respirator for both emergency escape and everyday use, safety managers can first perform a process hazard analy- sis, or PHA. This method is meant to ensure that the safety manager and decision makers fully recognize and understand all potential risks lurking within the workplace. Through this discovery, stakeholders can proactively plan for and implement operations that mitigate danger if standard operating procedures and fail-safes malfunction.
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com