Page 19 - Occupational Health & Safety, November 2017

In the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, there were a handful of well-known respirator manufacturers. During the past 5-10 years, many of these brands have been swallowed up by larger brands, limiting the big, well-known brands to a few household names.
Respiratory Product Innovation
Okay, but what about innovation? Respirators are technically com- plex PPE governed by national standards and certifications that require manufacturers to design, test, and jump through many regulatory hurdles. Over time, the market for PPE has concentrat- ed around a few large manufacturers and low-price/high-volume commodity players without much change. Does anyone want to really innovate? Perhaps with all of the technological advances of 2017, there’s a place for smaller, technology-focused businesses to bring real innovation to market?
So we have many new brands or labels on the market but in reality, most are very similar and meet the same NIOSH standard for OSHA compliance. Is the ability for a new product and brand to enter the marketplace a good thing? Will new choices bring bet- ter worker acceptance, better protection, or the ability for more workplaces to become compliant with regulations, or will they just drive costs down? In Europe and the United Kingdom, regulatory enforcement is increasing, as is worker awareness of the need for protection, which has been the catalyst for some enhancements to respiratory protection—including some manufacturers who are developing respirators that are built in or designed to more closely work in conjunction with other PPE items.
Full-face respirators are becoming much more accepted, ac- cording to a 2016 Frost and Sullivan report. As PAPRs become more cost effective, employers will start to gravitate toward the ease of use and higher protection factors and increased comfort of PA- PRs. PAPRs have long been designed around the same battery belt- mounted product and bulky designs. Worker acceptance hasn’t been great for PAPRs and supplied air systems, and they remain quite expensive, which makes the powered air respirator market ripe for innovation and technological enhancements.
What’s Next?
What should we be looking for on the horizon? Should we be ex- pecting innovation? Might there be an update on an old model, or are there technologies and materials available that improve de- sign, weight, feel, and comfort? Will PPE and specifically respira- tory protection, become “smarter”? With new revelations from the IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, regarding the potential carcinogenic impact of welding fumes and OSHA’s imminent enforcement on the crystalline silica standard for con- struction, the need for greater protection is right in front of us, and millions of additional workers will need protection. The big question is, can our PPE marketplace innovate like the technology we use in our everyday life? Suffice to say the American worker deserves the best in workplace safety, technology, and innovation. What do you think is next?
Rick Marquez is Vice President of Sales - The Americas for Sydney, Australia based-CleanSpace Technology. CleanSpace manufactures innovative PAPR systems that are newly launched in the United States and the Americas. He has more than 25 years of experience in the safety and respiratory marketplace.
www.ohsonline.com
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