Page 34 - OHS, January/February 2022

PPE: RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
Respiratory Protection Has Never Been More Important:
Selection and Considerations for Proper Use
When the respiratory system encounters threats for which little to no effective natural defense exists, it is imperative to have controls in place to prevent exposure.
RBY DR. ALEX BIRRELL
espiratory protection is essential to the health and productivity of workers at risk of exposure to airborne hazards. Common airborne contaminants in large industrial or healthcare sectors are at best irritants—and
at worst, acutely lethal. In the industrial sector, there are known carcinogens present in workspaces. In healthcare, employees must be protected against life-threatening airborne viruses.
Through modern industrial processes or global pandemics, exposure to airborne contaminants such as silica, wildfire smoke, coal, welding fumes and Covid-19 could pose acute and long-term health issues such as asthma, COPD, cancer or viral infections. When the respiratory system encounters threats for which little to no effective natural defence exists, it is imperative to have controls in place to prevent exposure.
30 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
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RPE—The Personal Line of Defence
There remain many workplaces and specific tasks where exposure cannot be controlled by engineering controls alone. For example, where tasks are undertaken in new or unfamiliar sites (contract work and mobile teams), remote locations (mine operations) or where workers are required to be located close to the source of the airborne contaminant (patient care, hard rock cutting). Some hazards may remain even after the use of engineering controls and the use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) becomes necessary to protect workers.
Considerations in Selection
When selected and used appropriately, PPE can significantly reduce exposure to occupational hazards. In the selection of RPE,