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Published byBrice Barnard Morris Modified over 6 years ago
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Helping you to correctly select and use respirators
This Clean Air –Take Care Toolbox Talk is aimed at helping you and your workers to correctly select and use respirators, if they are needed to control exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace It’s a joint initiative by the Health & Safety Executive and the British Safety Industry Federation …with support from the following organisations… With support from…
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…it can also affect your business!
Do your workers breathe clean air at work? If they don’t, damage to your worker’s lungs and other parts of their bodies from exposure to contaminated air can seriously affect their health… …and it can also affect your business! So, Take Care! Damage to your worker’s lungs and other parts of their bodies can seriously affect their health …it can also affect your business!
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Don’t risk their health & your business…
Many workers… Are not provided with correctly selected respirators! Are not provided with correctly maintained respirators Do not wear their respirators properly Even though respirators may be in use in many workplaces, it doesn’t guarantee adequate protection! Do you know why? Well, many workers who use respirators at work… …are not provided with correctly selected respirators… in this picture it’s not the right respirator because it hasn’t been matched to the wearer and other PPE that’s being worn Many workers are not provided with correctly maintained respirators or do not wear their respirators properly These shortfalls can lead to exposure to hazardous substances which can affect their health …and can put your business at risk! This can lead to exposure to hazardous substances affecting their health …and putting your business at risk!
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Respiratory disease Cancers Asthma COPD(Airway obstructive diseases)
Common health problems caused by breathing in hazardous substances… Cancers Asthma COPD(Airway obstructive diseases) Allergies & sensitisation Silicosis Starting with respiratory disease, lets quickly list some of the common health problems caused by breathing in hazardous substances Diseases include, Cancers Asthma COPD (airway obstructive diseases) Allergies and sensitisation and silicosis
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Nervous system disorders Heart disease
Other diseases Breathing in hazardous substances can also cause diseases elsewhere in the body… Nervous system disorders Heart disease Bladder cancer Damage to reproductive system Breathing in hazardous substances can also cause diseases to develop elsewhere in the body, such as… Nervous system disorders Heart disease Bladder cancer …and damage to the reproductive system Don’t risk their long term health as any one of these diseases can seriously impact on the quality of life of your workers and their families Don’t risk their long term health!
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A Doctors View A new HSE film
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Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)
Thousands of employers provide respirators to protect their workers from exposure to a wide range of hazardous substances… Thousands of employers like you provide respirators to protect their workers from exposure to a wide range of hazardous substances These substances can be present in the air at work as fume fibres mists solvent vapours dusts …and gases
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Respiratory protective equipment
There are two types of respiratory protective equipment (RPE)… Respirators Breathing Apparatus (BA) There are two types of respiratory protective equipment… Respirators… which capture or filter contaminants using suitable filters …and Breathing Apparatus, also known as BA… which uses breathable quality air from a source such as an air cylinder or an air compressor This talk concentrates on helping you correctly select and use respirators at work If you want more advice and information on the selection and use of Breathing Apparatus it can be found in the HSE Book HSG53 or seek professional advice For more information about BA read HSE book: HSG53 (Visit HSE website for more details)
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Respiratory protective equipment
There are two kinds of respirators… Negative pressure Powered Now there are two kinds of respirators… Negative pressure respirators… these rely on your breathing action to draw air through filters …and Powered respirators… these rely on a battery powered fan to draw air through the filters for you and provide you with a flow of filtered air
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Protection provided by respirators
As long as the filters are correctly selected you may use respirators to protect against… Particles Gases Vapours Dusts Mists Fumes Fibres Germs As long as the filters are correctly selected, you may use respirators to protect against… Particles, which include: Dusts Mists Fumes Fibres and Germs You can also use them against certain Gases such as sulphur dioxide, chlorine and ammonia and Vapours, such as solvent vapours from paints, inks and adhesives But respirators provide no, remember No, protection against oxygen deficiency Oxygen deficiency is normally found in confined spaces such as silos, cellars, vats, tanks, pits, pipes, sewers, flues or wells Respirators provide no protection against Oxygen Deficiency
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Respirators will not protect
Unless they are… right for the hazard right for the task Did you know that respirators will not provide adequate protection unless they are… Right for the hazard Right for the task And right for the wearer Lets look at each of these in a little more detail… right for the wearer
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Respirators will not protect
Unless they are… right for the hazard Dust, fibres and germs Mist and spray Smoke and fume Gas and vapour Select the correct respirator and filter type for… What do we mean by right for the hazard? This means that the respirator you select should be right, and fitted with the correct filters for the harmful substances it’s expected to protect the wearer from So, depending on what form the hazard takes you will need to select the correct filter type for either… Particles Gases or Vapours and if they are present in any combination of these, you must select the right types of filters for the combination You should also check the amount of hazard in the air as this will affect the choice of filter and the type of respirator needed If you have any problems with this don’t worry we’ll give you some advice a bit later in this talk… So don’t just guess! Particles Gases Vapours Amount of hazard in the air
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Respirators will not protect
Unless they are… right for the task Robust enough Practical to use Works efficiently & protects the worker What do we mean by right for the task? This means that the respirator you select should be robust enough for the working conditions It should be practical to use… Take into consideration things like physical activity, temperature and humidity, obstacles, …and working at height etc And finally make sure the respirator works efficiently and protects the worker throughout the working day And remember never use filtering respirators in oxygen deficient areas… because they don’t provide oxygen! Never use filtering respirators in oxygen deficient areas!
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Respirators will not protect
Unless they are… right for the wearer Fits correctly Can be used with other safety equipment Comfortable enough to keep on What do we mean by right for the wearer? First it needs to fit the wearer correctly… for tight fitting masks this means no face seal gaps… and the user must be clean shaven under the area of the face seal Can be used with other safety equipment being worn without affecting protection or fit And finally it is comfortable enough to keep on throughout the time it needs to be worn Now these all sound like simple things, but get them wrong and your workers protection can be seriously reduced!
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Selecting the correct respirator
You can… Use the Clean Air-Take Care selection guide Discuss with supplier or H&S advisor Don’t forget to consult your workers during the selection process Make sure they have a say It is a legal requirement So how do you select the correct respirator? Well, you can… Use the Clean Air - Take Care selection guide, it will help you to identify your requirements for selecting the correct respirator …ask your respirator supplier for this form Once you have gone through the selection guide and filled it in… You can then discuss your requirements with your supplier or Health & Safety advisor …and finally don’t forget you must consult your workers during the selection process… this last point often gets overlooked, but if you want them to wear the equipment …it’s vital they have a say in what they are going to wear It’s actually a legal requirement… you have to do it, that’s how important it is!
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When respirator alarms
What else should I do? Provide filter change guidance… Establish company procedures… Use company procedures Use company procedures When respirator alarms When harder to breathe When detect smell or taste Before break -through Particle filters Gas & Vapour filters So what else should I do to ensure my workforce is protected… Well, respirators rely on filters… Particle filters eventually block up And Gas and vapour filters let the contaminant through when they are full… this is called breakthrough To ensure your workers are adequately protected, provide them with easy to follow filter change guidance The first step is to establish company procedures of when to change filters… for example for a particular job from past experience you may find the filter should be changed weekly, so put this in your company procedure and tell your workers So the guidance for changing particle filters should be Use company procedures Or when it becomes harder to breathe as the filter blocks up Or when the respirator alarms if it is a battery powered respirator For Gas & Vapour filters the guidance is …use company procedures in any case, change filters before breakthrough of contaminant …and as an absolute last resort, change the filter immediately upon detecting the smell or taste of the contaminant! …but this is not good practice
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Fit the respirator properly
What else should I do? Fit the respirator properly Ensure each wearer has the right size of respirator Ensure all wearers of tight fitting respirators are fit tested Remember to use a competent fit tester Fit the respirator properly… By this we mean ensure each wearer has the right size of respirator Ensure that all wearers of tight fitting respirators are properly fit tested …And remember to use a competent fit tester such as a Fit2Fit accredited tester above all make sure the respirator is worn correctly and the wearer fit checks it before each use by following the manufacturer’s instructions Make sure respirator is worn correctly and fit checked before each use
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Clean and store the respirator correctly
What else should I do? Clean and store the respirator correctly Reusable respirators should be cleaned after each use Respirators should be stored in a clean, dry environment Don’t let the respirator get dirty inside Follow the manufacturer’s instructions The next thing is to clean and store the respirator correctly… Reusable respirators should be cleaned after each use Respirators should be stored in a clean, dry environment Whatever job they are doing… don’t let the respirator get dirty inside and always follow the respirator manufacturer’s cleaning and storage instructions
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Maintain non-disposable respirators
What else should I do? Maintain non-disposable respirators Carry out thorough maintenance at least once a month Follow manufacturer’s maintenance instructions Maintained by a trained person Keep maintenance records Never modify any part of the respirator Maintain non-disposable respirators… By this we mean carry out thorough maintenance at least once a month Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions Make sure it is maintained by a trained person and records are kept of all maintenance carried out …and finally, never carry out DIY modifications to any part of the respirator, DIY modifications often don’t work properly and can expose workers to airborne hazards or affect the performance of the respirator in some other way
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What else should I do? Train your workers Training needs to cover…
Why they need a respirator How to store respirator Which respirator to use How to clean respirator How to check it’s right one Training needs to cover… When to replace respirator When to wear respirator Before using their respirators your workers should be trained Training needs to cover… Why they need a respirator Which one they need to use How to check they have the right one When to wear the respirator How to wear it correctly When to change filters How to maintain the respirator in good condition When to replace it How to clean it …and finally, how to store the respirator when it’s not in use Carry out this training to maximise how the respirators will benefit your workers …and your business! How to maintain respirator How to wear respirator correctly When to change filters
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Remember Control pecking order Get rid of hazardous substances
Use less harmful substances Modify the process Enclose the process Use extraction ventilation Use RPE Enforcement actions have been taken by HSE for incorrect selection, use and maintenance of respirators Thousands of workers are made ill each year from airborne hazardous substances Respiratory diseases can develop or over many years quickly Remember… Respiratory diseases can develop quickly… …or over many years… just because unprotected workers are not displaying signs of illness straight away doesn’t mean that they are not being affected! Thousands of workers are made ill each year from exposure to airborne hazardous substances… the sad thing is, the majority of these illnesses could have been avoided through correct selection and use of control measures… including suitable respirators Always remember, respirators are the last line of control measure in the control pecking order A number of enforcement actions have been taken by the HSE for incorrect selection, use and maintenance of respirators …and failures in other control measures… this enforcement will continue to happen! …so don’t risk it
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Summary Don’t take a gamble…
So the message is simple, don’t take a gamble… Respirators will not provide adequate protection unless… Your workers have been provided with the right respirator and the right filter for the hazardous substances, They have been trained in using and fitting their respirators properly They replace the filters when required and store and clean their respirators properly …and finally their respirators are properly maintained when required Remember, its your responsibility, so look after your workers! A poster supporting this message for your workers is available for you to use at your workplace …just ask for a copy from your respirator supplier It’s your responsibility, look after your workers!
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Remember… Remember… if you don’t have clean air in your workplace
Take care
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Campaign support… Working together to help you
These partners and their members are working together to help you …and they’re happy to provide further assistance if you need it
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For further information please visit the following websites:
Any information given in this presentation is for guidance only. It is ultimately the responsibility of the employer to select appropriate RPE based on risk assessment. For further information please visit the following websites:
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