Workplace Protection Factor Measurements on Powered Air-Purifying Respirators at a Secondary Lead Smelter – Test Protocol

Myers, Walter Dean; Peach, Michael J.; Allender, Joan

doi:10.1080/15298668491399712

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Campaigns to measure protective factors on PAPRs against other pollutants (Myers (1983), Myers (1984), Lenhart (1984)) came to the same conclusions from a WPF distribution of logtype normal and with a 5th percentile value less than 50. To explain the WPF differences measured during the Myers campaign, the differences in carrier behavior and facial leakage were discussed.…”

Section: Rpd Type Sar Paprmentioning

confidence: 84%

Workplace Respiratory Protection Factors during Asbestos Removal Operations

Chazelet

Wild

Silvente

et al. 2018

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

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Numerous changes have been made to the French labour regulations in recent years relating to the prevention of risks of exposure to asbestos fibres for operators removing asbestos-containing materials. These changes refer to the method used to count fibres, the collective and personal protective devices to be used on these worksites, and the occupational exposure limit value, which was reduced to 10 f.L-1 on 2 July 2015. In this context, this study assessed the level of respiratory protection afforded by supplied-air respirators and powered air-purifying respirators by monitoring exposure for several operators on nine worksites. The levels of dustiness measured in personal samples taken outside masks showed significant evidence of potential exposure during removal of asbestos-containing plaster or sprayed asbestos, and when using abrasive blasting to treat asbestos-containing materials. For these tasks outside concentration regularly exceeds 25000 f.L-1. Measurements inside masks were generally low, under 10 f.L-1, except in some situations involving the removal of asbestos-containing plaster. This partial penetration of fibres inside masks could be due to the high loading linked to this material. The distributions of Workplace Protection Factors obtained for the two types of respiratory protective devices studied were broad, and the fifth percentile values equal to 236 and 104, respectively, for supplied-air respirators and powered air-purifying respirators. This work highlights once again the need to prioritize collective protection when seeking to prevent asbestos-related risks.

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Section: Rpd Type Sar Paprmentioning

confidence: 84%

Workplace Respiratory Protection Factors during Asbestos Removal Operations

Chazelet

Wild

Silvente

et al. 2018

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

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“…The research protocol used for this study was patterned after other published respirator field study protocols [13][14][15][16] . A total number of 42 WPF samples were sampled from 14 subject workers for the three brand respirators respectively, that is, each worker/respirator combination.…”

Section: Sampling and Analysis Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlations between Workplace Protection Factors and Fit Factors for Filtering Facepieces in the Welding Workplace.

Han

2002

INDUSTRIAL HEALTH

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Respiratory Protective Equipment

Myers¹

2001

Patty's Industrial Hygiene

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The respirator is historically one of the oldest types of equipment used for personal protection in the occupational setting. It is uncertain when the use of primitive forms of respiratory protection began. However, Pliny the Elder recorded the first known use of such a device early in the 1 st century ad . Although respirators have been used for almost 2000 years, the genesis of their technical development is actually the mid‐19th century. During that century. Despite major advances in knowledge and technology, respirator development continued slowly. Chemical warfare agents, introduced in World War I, focused attention on the need for adequate respirators. In the United States, the Bureau of Mines successfully carried out this work for the army. The forerunners of present‐day respirators began to appear after World War I. In those early years, misuse of surplus army gas masks by civilians and employers, who had sole discretion about deciding when and how respirators were used, highlighted the need for respiratory protection standards. The Bureau of Mines in 1919 initiated the first respirator certification program in the United States and certified their first respirator, a self‐contained breathing apparatus in 1920. Responsibility for the respirator certification program was transferred from the Bureau of Mines to NIOSH in 1972. In 1995, NIOSH promulgated new certification regulations, Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations Part 84 (Part 84). Knowing the minimum performance standards and recognizing the limitations of the NIOSH certification tests are important when selecting and using a “NIOSH‐certified” repirator. Achieving proper respiratory protection with NIOSH‐certified RPE requires that ( 1 ) the RPE be properly selected for the environment in which it will be used; ( 2 ) its face fitting characteristics be adequately evaluated and considered in the selection process; and ( 3 ) workers receive periodic training that adequately prepares them to conscientiously and properly wear and use the RPE. Three recognized standard‐producing groups have produced guidance or standards on establishing and maintaining the elements of a good respiratory protection program. They are: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The primary objective of industrial hygiene is to prevent contaminants from escaping into the atmosphere. Hazard control should start at the outset of process, equipment, and plant design stages so those potential exposure sources can be engineered out. But very often exposure control becomes an issue after the process(es) are operational and therefore control becomes a more difficult and costly proposition. However, even then consideration should be given to the use of effective engineering controls to eliminate and/or reduce exposure to respiratory hazards. The preferred priority of controls steps are ( 1 ) substitution of a less toxic substance, ( 2 ) encapsulation or isolation of the process, ( 3 ) use of local exhaust ventilation or general ventilation in conjunction with filters and scrubbers to control the effluents, ( 4 ) use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Respiratory protective equipment should be used only when all higher priority control steps are not technically or financially feasible. Real world circumstances however demonstrate that engineering controls often do not reduce exposures sufficiently to eliminate a respiratory hazard. As a result respiratory protective equipment (RPE) becomes the only technically and economically feasible adjunct to engineering controls to minimize and control respiratory exposures. According to recent estimates reported by the OSHA Office of Regulatory Analysis, roughly 5 million workers, 19–20% of the mining/manufacturing/ construction workforce, in 1.3 million establishments use or have access to some type of respiratory protective equipment. Thus, RPE continues to be an important component in many respiratory exposure control plans. As a result, selection, use and evaluation of RPE have become more important as well.

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Workplace Protection Factor Measurements on Powered Air-Purifying Respirators at a Secondary Lead Smelter – Test Protocol

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Workplace Respiratory Protection Factors during Asbestos Removal Operations

Workplace Respiratory Protection Factors during Asbestos Removal Operations

Correlations between Workplace Protection Factors and Fit Factors for Filtering Facepieces in the Welding Workplace.

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