Breathe Easy: Match respirator with expected needs
You’re on site, ready to turn on the spray gun. But are you protected?
Using appropriate and effective respiratory protection is no small matter. OSHA mandates such protection, and it just makes good sense to use it. Why? Because airborne contaminants may be present, and they may be highly concentrated. You don’t want to breathe that in, much less dust from sanding, vapor from sealers or mist from paint spray. So protect yourself.
Unfortunately, there is no “all-purpose” respirator that will protect against everything. Employers must match expected respiratory protection needs with the respirator models available.
Selecting respirators
Respirator systems can be categorized into two major groups: positive pressure and negative pressure.
Positive pressure respirators provide a steady flow of clean breathing air to the worker from a compressor, compressed air cylinders, portable pump or powered air purifier. Positive pressure systems often are combined with helmets, hoods or full-face respirators to help provide respiratory, eye and face, and/or head protection.
Negative pressure respirators help remove airborne contaminants by drawing ambient workplace air through filters and/or cartridges. These respirators are tight fitting and available in half facepiece and full facepiece models. Negative pressure respirators are appropriate for many standard painting and surface preparation applications.
Negative pressure respirators can be further divided into three categories:
Maintenance-free respirators are packaged pre-assembled, have no spare parts, are designed not to be disassembled and can be used until the filter medium is loaded or the assembly is damaged. Because they are assigned to just one worker, maintenance-free respirators provide high levels of worker hygiene, convenience and acceptance.
Low-maintenance respirators feature a low-cost facepiece with replaceable filters and cartridge only. They have no spare parts (valves, straps) to be replaced, lost or stored in inventory. Low-maintenance models usually are assigned to a single worker, but they can be rotated among more than one employee following appropriate cleaning and maintenance procedures. Most models have a full complement of replaceable filters/cartridges.
Conventional-maintenance respirators are designed for heavy duty, multiple reuse and maintenance, with replaceable components. These respirators generally require an inventory of spare components and knowledge of proper assembly and disassembly.
Worker comfort and productivity
Both types — positive and negative pressure — from leading manufacturers meet appropriate National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) performance requirements. And while NIOSH-approved respirators provide high levels of worker protection when used correctly, manufacturers should consider other factors when selecting respirators, including working conditions, worker comfort and productivity.
“In most cases, employers will find that a lightweight, comfortable half-facepiece respirator provides adequate respiratory protection,” says Paula Penning, technical services specialist at the 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division in St. Paul, MN. “There are certain situations, however, when a full-facepiece respirator that protects the employee’s eyes and face may be a better choice. Does the worker have a beard? Then a belt-mounted powered air purifying respirator will provide high levels of protection and comfort while helping ensure OSHA compliance.
“Surface prep in cold conditions or in hot conditions are other situations when a supplied air system of heated or cooled air over the head and face can increase worker comfort,” she adds.
All of these are important considerations for increasing worker acceptance, comfort and productivity. But so is cost.
Positive pressure systems cost more initially, but they can be reused many times. Most workers, however, will find maintenance-free and low-maintenance types of negative pressure systems reasonably priced. Storing respirators not discarded after one shift in a suitable container away from all areas of contamination will keep them usable for later. It also is good practice to mark and store respirators not discarded after one shift in such a manner that they are worn only by the assigned employee.
“The bottom line is that respirator systems, when used correctly, protect worker’s health,” says Penning. “And healthy workers are productive workers.”
This article appeared in Professional Painting Contractor, published on behalf of the Sherwin-Williams Company by Northbrook Publishing, a division of Randall Publishing Company.
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