Respirator Types
Intro
An estimated 5 million workers are required to wear respirators in 1.3 million workplaces throughout the United States.
The information in this training impacts on the risks you may face and how those risks may be diminished for you and those with whom you work alongside.
Hazards
– Respirators protect you against:
• Deficient oxygen environments
• Dusts, fogs, smokes, mists
• Gases, vapors, sprays –
These hazards may cause – Cancer – Lung impairment – Diseases – Death
In the Field
1. Use an engineering, work practice, and/or administrative controls whenever possible to minimize hazardous air contaminants.
2. Before entering a site, confirm that you agree with the respirator selection that has been chosen for each task that you will be expected to do.
3. Conduct air monitoring to confirm that the selection is appropriate.
4. Maintain proper facial conditions for respirator(s) to seal to your face (e.g., shave, wash).
5. Inspect respirators, with special attention to inhalation and exhalation valves, and conduct a user seal check (fit check) each time you don a respirator.
6. Track chemical cartridge service life and change cartridges and filters according to HASP requirements (at the end of each shift or more frequently as conditions require).
7. Exit hazardous atmospheres immediately when detected and report problems if respirators do not perform as expected (breakthrough odor, breathing resistance, or malfunctions) or if site conditions change significantly (new contaminants emerge or concentrations change).
8. Clean respirators during the shift when visible accumulation is present.
9. Clean, disinfect, and properly store respirators at the end of every shift.
10. Ensure that breathing air obtained from an outside source is Grade D breathing air and provide documentation of this to the Health and Safety Program Contact.
11. Maintain and use any breathing air compressor under your control according to manufacturer’s recommended procedures and document all compressor care/use.
Two Main Types of Respirators
• Air-purifying
• Atmosphere-supplying
Respirators can also be classified as tight‐fitting or loose‐fitting. A tight‐fitting respirator:
• Seals tightly to the face
• Requires that nothing interfere with the respirator seal
• Requires fit testing
Fit Test
– Fit testing is used to be sure that the respirator’s facepiece fits your face. You should know:
• Respirators must be fit tested before you use them for the first time.
• Fit tests must be performed at least every 12 months to be sure that the respirator continues to fit the face.
• A user seal check by the wearer is necessary each time the respirator is put on.
• Loose-fitting respirators do not depend on a tight seal; they do not need to be fit tested.
Air-Purifying Respirators
– Selection of filters, cartridges, or canisters depends on the type and amount of airborne contaminant in the workplace.
The employer determines:
• Which filter, cartridge, or canister to use
• How often it needs to be changed
– Respirators with particulate filters will not protect against gases, vapors, and non‐particulate components of fumes, mists, fogs, smoke, and sprays.
Once the type and amount of airborne contaminants present in the workplace is identified, appropriate respiratory protection can then be selected.
Hazard Characteristics
– Additional characteristics that may affect respirator selection
• Does the hazard irritate the eyes?
• Do you need splash and spray protection as well as eye protection? If so, you will need a full face-‐piece respirator or some type of eye protection.
• Full-‐face respirators may provide a greater level of eye and face protection. The seal is an oval covering encircling most of the face, with fewer indentations, lowering the potential for leakage.
Filtering Facepiece Half-Mask Respirators
– Characteristics
• Sometimes referred to as “N95”
• Tight-fitting
• Air-purifying
• Covers nose and mouth
• Whole facepiece functions as filter
• May have exhalation valve to help exhaled breath to exit
• Needs to be fit tested, unless you are wearing one under voluntary use conditions
• Filters out particles
• Will not filter out non-‐particulate hazards such as gases or vapors
Powered Air‐Purifying Respirators (PAPR)
– Characteristics
• Usually full‐facepiece
• Powered blower supplies air through hose
• Usually tight‐fitting (must be fit tested in this case)
• Can also be half‐mask
• Can also have helmet or hood
Airline Respirators
– Characteristics
• Atmosphere-‐supplying
• Air supplied through a long hose to either a hood or a facepiece
• Air source is cylinder or compressor
• Tight‐fitting facepieces must be fit tested
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
– Characteristics
• Atmosphere‐supplying
• Air supplied from cylinder of compressed breathing air
• Cylinder carried by respirator user (self‐contained)
• Provides highest level of respirator protection
Number Indicator
– The number refers to a filter’s ability to remove the most-‐penetrating particle size during “worst case” testing.
• 95 means 95 percent of particles are removed
• 99 means 99 percent are removed
• 100 means at least 99.7 percent are removed
General Guidelines
– You must never alter your respirator. Doing so can reduce its protective quality and expose you to airborne hazards.
• Never staple, glue, or add pierce things to your respirator
• Do not write on your respirator’s filter material (it’s OK to write your name on the straps though)
• Never put holes in your respirator
• Never use unapproved parts on your respirator
WRAPPING UP
So far, this training has provided you with an overview and refresher of the types of respirators available and how they are selected to protect you against airborne workplace hazards.
• Consider this lesson as only part of your respiratory protection training. Your employer must also provide you with additional training on respirators, including worksite- specific training focusing on worksite hazards and the specific respirator you may be required to wear.
• In case you aren’t sure if a respirator is needed for the task you will be doing, or if you don’t know about how to properly use a respirator or which filter or cartridge to use, talk to your supervisor before entering the hazardous area.
Respirators are used to prevent toxic materials from entering the body.
Situations which may require the use of respiratory protection include:
• Oxygen deficiency
• Hazardous substances in the air
• An atmosphere immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH)
• Confined-space entry
• A skin/eye absorption hazard
A respirator is assigned for use after either qualitative or quantitative fit-testing. Before each use, the wearer conducts positive- and negative-pressure user checks.