Ensuring respiratory PPE actually protects workers

All humans differ in size and shape, so PPE can’t be designed under the assumption that we’re all physically identical. Some PPE, such as footwear, clothing and gloves, is available in a wide choice of sizes and styles to suit individuals. Safety professionals are aware of these choices and select styles and sizes according to individual wearers. However, when it comes to other categories, like respiratory protection, this biological fact often may be overlooked.

The general assumption that the adjustable or elastic straps on respirators and face masks make them ‘fit’ an individual and therefore provide adequate protection is flawed. There’s much more to effective respiratory protection than just wearing a respirator.

Some respirators and face masks are produced to suit particular applications, but many are generic, supplied in just one size with an elastic or adjustable strap to make it accommodate every wearer. It’s risky for anyone to assume that simply wearing it protects them, without giving thought to it being appropriate for the hazard or properly fitted. This risk may be exacerbated if the PPE is purchased by administrative staff who have no experience in using respiratory protection and are unlikely to be familiar with all the nuances of fit, comfort and efficacy.

This wouldn’t be such an issue if it was just about comfort, but respiratory PPE is intended to protect people from harmful substances. The detrimental effects of some of these aren’t recognised until years after exposure to them, and by then it’s too late to reverse the damaging effects of, say, welding fumes or dust particles that have built up inside the lungs of people working in these environments for several years. Proper fit and usage greatly improves worker safety.

These and other hazards can be mitigated with the deployment of an effective respiratory protection program. According to 3M’s Occupational Hygienist, Peter Knott: “This concept is nothing new, but people with the responsibility to service the PPE needs of workers should recognise that it’s an ongoing process involving much more than just selecting and providing suitable PPE.

“I frequently visit companies and at times meet managers who genuinely assume one size fits all when it comes to respirators. There seems to be this belief that manufacturers can produce a universal product that magically works on everyone without having to consider fit.

“Often they don’t realise that a respiratory fit test is now mandated for compliance to AS/NZS1715:2009 ‘Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment’. This standard was written for users of respiratory protection. Another standard - AS/NZS1716:2003 ‘Respiratory protective devices’ - was written for manufacturers. Companies following AS/NZS1715 can provide proper respiratory protection, individually tailored for all their workers.”

Respiratory protection program

From his extensive experience as an occupational hygienist, Knott recommends a 5-stage approach to organisations whose workers are exposed to respiratory hazards:

1. Know your environment
2. Select the most appropriate PPE
3. Train people
4. Conduct fit testing
5. Maintain the PPE

Know your environment

This means being able to identify the hazardous contaminants, what sorts of exposures have to be dealt with and their concentration levels.

Commenting on concentration levels, Knott advises: “It’s important to know the limitations of any protection device. They’re all designed to handle specific concentration ranges of contaminants. AS/NZS1715 outlines protection factors for many hazards. For example, the respirator needed for exposures two times the exposure standard for, say, dust are very different to 20 times the standard. These variations may occur within the same premises on different jobs, so different protection may be required in these situations.

“So you could be doing the right thing by giving workers respiratory protection and even fit testing them, but if some are exposed to very high levels of a hazardous substance, the adequacy of that protection may be questionable.

“We often receive inquiries about what respirators to use with specific chemicals. I step through several issues, but when I ask what the concentrations of these chemicals are, the common reply seems to be: ‘Dunno. Isn’t the MSDS [material safety data sheet] from the supplier enough?’

“They’ve done some ‘homework’ on the hazards, but often information that’s vital in determining the most appropriate protection is missing. Surprisingly, the MSDS of many substances simply suggests using respirators approved to AS/NZS1716, when they really should be referring to AS/NZS1715, which specifically addresses the selection and use of respirators.”

Selecting PPE

AS/NZS1715 is very helpful in selecting the most appropriate respiratory protection to suit specific needs. It’s a good idea for anyone responsible for selecting or procuring respiratory PPE to have a copy of the standard and get very familiar with it.

Knott adds: “People selecting PPE should remember that it has to be worn by someone. If it’s uncomfortable to wear, then it’s probably not worth buying, because uncomfortable products bring with them compliance issues - people may not wear it all the time.

“It’s always a good idea to consult the workers who’ll have to wear the gear before selecting it. They may have to wear it for 6-8 hours each day, so comfort is important. You might want to tell them up front, say at a toolbox talk, that you’re looking into selecting new respiratory protection and encourage them to give you their views. That’s a far better option than to just engaging consultants to look at a problem and then inform workers a month later that they’ll be wearing ‘ABC’ respirators from now on.

“You should also avoid being alarmist about selecting PPE. If you’re going to change the respiratory PPE, don’t just announce the new equipment. Communicate to everyone that the program is an ongoing one, as part of the company’s overall risk management program and that it is constantly being reviewed. Respect the fact that some of the workers may have worked in that environment for many years - you don’t want to give them the impression that they’ve been using unsuitable PPE beforehand.

“In selecting respiratory PPE, a good idea is to conduct a product trial with the workers to assess the fit, comfort and effectiveness of a number of possible products. Given the variance in workers’ facial features, you may end up with 2-3 different types or brands to comprehensively provide respiratory protection for all of the workers.”

Fit testing

AS/NZS1715:2009 now mandates fit testing, stating that it “shall” be carried out. Compliance to the standard now requires this task to be carried out regularly with all respiratory PPE. Again, getting more familiar with this standard is a worthwhile exercise.

Training and maintenance

It’s pointless selecting the right respirators and not providing training on their use and maintenance.

“We know from published studies that training and education will result in better outcomes for employees and employers,” continues Knott. “People need to understand the hazards they’re working with, the control measures in place (including PPE), what their PPE will (and won’t) protect them from, how to put on respirators, when filters should be changed, what should be inspected on re-useable respirators and what spare parts are available. Where a significant investment in equipment has been made, employers want to ensure the equipment is being looked after and is doing its job. For wearers, it has to be maintained to work properly, otherwise it’s all in vain.”

Conclusion

You may find that, after conducting an evaluation of your existing respiratory PPE, it does indeed provide adequate protection for wearers. That’s good feedback and well worth reporting back to management. If, however, you find it’s not adequate, don’t panic and just sound the alarm. Promptly fix the problem. Better to find out about inadequacies from your own investigations than from an incident that renders workers seriously ill or injured.