Page 32 - OHS, April 2020

FIRE SAFETY
respiratory protection, workers need various types of PPE to help avoid injury on the job.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certifies and lists numerous variants of disposable and reusable respirators in half and full-face versions for use with pu- rifying cartridges and filters in both negative pressure and pow- ered air versions. These types of respiratory protection devices provide assigned protection factors (APF) from 10 to 1000 and protect workers around the globe every day. However, for respi- ratory hazards that exceed the capabilities of a filter that require higher APF, industrial workers must look to more elaborate, positive-pressure demand systems like open- and closed-circuit, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that provide an air source integrated to the set and can provide APF up to 10,000 with properly fitted facepieces.2
Although all modern SCBA are made up of the same five basic components (backframe and harness, primary pressure reducer, secondary pressure regulator, cylinder and facepiece), they can dif- fer greatly depending on the specific work environment in which the model is destined to be used. As with the air-purifying respi- rators noted above, NIOSH is the primary regulatory and certifi- cation agency for SCBA. SCBA must be submitted for evaluation of compliance with the requirements of Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 84.
In addition to this certification, in June 2002, in conjunction with NFPA SCBA approvals, NIOSH issued the first approvals for SCBA for emergency workers in terrorist attacks and included evaluations against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear exposures (CBRN). Some SCBA also maintain certification to NFPA standards such as NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Ser- vices, NFPA 1982: Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) or NFPA 1986: Standard on Respiratory Protection Equip- ment for Tactical and Technical Operations.
These additional standards require specific design and per- formance enhancements to the basic SCBA including, but not limited to:
■ Specific end of service time indicator (EOSTI) setting
■ Higher heat resistance of the facepiece lens
■ Enhanced ability to communicate while wearing the respirator Additionally, certain optional accessories available to the fire
service are governed by complementary NFPA standards, such as NFPA 1983: Standard on Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services and certain accessories like Emergency Breathing Safety Systems (EBSS) have both design and perfor- mance criteria as part of the NFPA 1981 standard.
So, which makes, models and accessories should an industrial fire brigade be looking at for on-site protection from hazards and firefighting activities? Well, this truly depends on the site risk as- sessment and the potential for the industrial brigade to be involved in structure fire suppression or rescue operations calling for capa- bility beyond respiratory protection from chemical hazards. A va- riety of materials and optional accessories are available, and some are noted in the following examples.
“Industrial” SCBA—
NIOSH 42 CFR, Part 84 Approval Only
Most manufacturers of SCBA will list a model that conforms to
this general description and certifications. Some of the important options to look for and questions to ask depending on intended use are:
■ Are the harness materials fire retardant or not (polyester, nylon, etc.)?
■ Does the SCBA have electronic components?
■ Will the facepiece allow use of cartridges and filters to limit inventory and fit testing requirements for a separate make/model of facepiece?
■ Does the SCBA require overhaul maintenance or just an- nual functional flow tests?
Within the range of SCBA marketed as suitable for industrial applications other than firefighting, there are a variety of materials that bring the user different benefits. Some SCBA have fabric back- frame and harnesses for reduced weight, enhanced comfort and ease of laundering. Others provide more robust aluminum frames that can handle dirty environments like the oil and gas sector and do not absorb contaminants as easily as fabric versions.
Industrial Firefighting SCBA
If exterior firefighting and interface with municipal fire depart- ments is a need, but full-blown structural firefighting activities like rescue operations and interior nozzle attack are not within scope, then some additional options are available. Some manufacturers offer versions of their SCBA, approved to the NFPA standards, in a lighter-duty version without electronics and make some of the oth- er NFPA mechanical accessories optional on a NIOSH-approved set suitable for use in environments where heat and flame may be present and other fire PPE such as bunker gear are worn. Some of the features one should look for are:
■ Does the SCBA use the same pneumatics as an NFPA- certified set?
■ Do the pneumatics offer built-in back-up systems for air path integrity or use filters?
■ Are the following features available as options?
- Rapid Intervention Universal Air Connection (RIC/UAC)3 - Extended airline connection for breathing off an external
air source
- Emergency breathing support system (EBSS) - Communication accessories
Structural Firefighting SCBA Sets
If risk analysis determines that interior structural attack or direct interface with the responding municipal fire department is re- quired, it is recommended that the industrial brigade consider a SCBA ensemble fully certified to the current editions of the NFPA 1981 standard and equipped with an integrated PASS device certi- fied to the NFPA 1982 standard. SCBA such as these will have all the required accessories as standard components of the manufac- turer’s part number:
■ RIC/UAC fitting for emergency air transfer ■ Pneumatic data logging of events
■ High-heat resistant facepiece
Optional accessories may include:
■ Universal EBSS air connection for low pressure emergency rescue or for use as an airline extension for confined space rescue
■ Integrated telemetry systems that relay air and alarm sta- tus remotely and allow two-way non-verbal wireless communi-
28 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2020
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