Page 28 - Occupational Health & Safety, November 2018

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
are increasingly becoming a preferred option as first responders and hospitals prepare for pandemics, bioterrorism, and other pub- lic health emergencies by designating airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) in compliance to the National Bioterrorism Hospi- tal Preparedness Program.
Expanded Protection in Half and Full-Face PAPRs
Half mask and full-face air powered respirators are becoming much more accepted, according to a 2016 Frost and Sullivan report. As PAPRs become more cost effective, employers are starting to gravi- tate toward the ease of use and higher protection factors and in- creased comfort of PAPRs. PAPRs have long been designed around the same battery belt-mounted product and bulky designs—but all that is changing. While in the past, worker acceptance hasn’t been consistent for PAPRs and supplied air systems, new and innova- tive PAPR products are increasing user acceptance and protecting workers better.
Per CDC/NIOSH, full-face air-powered respiratory masks should be used in any environment where decontamination show- ers are used. NIOSH recommends1 full-face masks when working with specific chemicals acrylonitrile (< or = 100 ppm); arsenic (< or = 500 ug/m3); asbestos (< or = 10 f/cm3); benzene (< = or 50- 1,000 ppm); butadiene (< or = 50 ppm); and others. We also recom- mend using full-face respiratory masks in other applications with
With improvement in design, battery life, ergonom- ics, and ease of use, both half mask and full-face PAPRs’ acceptance and conversion is on the rise.
long-term use in areas demanding very high levels of protection and tasks where eye protection is required, such as woodworking, manufacturing, smelting, construction, recycling plants, emergen- cy services, mining, agriculture, processing plants, and grinding.
With improvement in design, battery life, ergonomics, and ease of use, both half mask and full-face PAPRs’ acceptance and conver- sion is on the rise.
Impact of Regulatory Changes
on the Respiratory Market
With new revelations from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regarding the potential carcinogenic impact of welding fumes and OSHA’s imminent enforcement on the crystal- line silica standard for construction, the need for better respiratory protection is greater than ever. Millions of workers need protection or higher levels of protection.
According to the IARC, there are an estimated 11 million weld- ers and an additional 110 million workers who incur welding- related exposures, including fumes and co-exposures to asbestos
Air Sampling Pumps
• Intrinsically safe
• Wireless data transmission
• Simple to operate
• High back pressure capability • Lightweight and rugged
• Long battery life
415 Lawrence Bell Drive, Unit 4, Buffalo, NY 14221
T: (800) 366 2966
E: info-us@casellasolutions.com
casellasolutions.com
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