Service Spotlight: Respiratory Protection Programs
What is respiratory protection?
Many processes in the workplace generate byproducts like dust, gases, mists, fumes, vapours or aerosols. Respiratory protection programs and equipment help to protect the health of your workers.
What is a respirator?
Worksafe BC defines a respirator as “a protective device that covers the worker’s nose and mouth or the entire face and head to keep airborne contaminants out of the worker’s respiratory system and provide a safe air supply.”
Different Types of Respirators1:
- Escape Respirators
- Particulate Respirators
- Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirator
- Powered Air-Purifying Respirator
- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
When do employees need respirators?
CUPE states that “employers that have respiratory hazards at the worksite need to have a written respiratory protection plan developed by a competent individual. Employers must also provide adequate employee training, including respiratory hazards identification, proper respirator selection and use, and emergency procedures.” If respiratory hazards cannot be removed by engineering methods, such as mechanical ventilation or isolation, then respiratory protection equipment is a last resort .
How do you know employees are properly protected?
As CUPE mentioned previously, a respiratory protection plan needs to be put in place by a competent individual, such as an occupational health and safety consultant. There are several steps to determine what type of respiratory protection your employees will need and that is where our respiratory protection programs come into place.
Steps Involved in Respiratory Protection Programs
Step 1) Industrial Hygiene Testing such as Air Quality Testing
Step 2) Reporting and Program Development
The Industrial Hygienist will review the testing that took place at your organization. From these results, our occupational health consultant will work to create a program that is custom to your organization’s needs. This can include annual pulmonary function tests or mask fit testing.
Step 3) Program Execution
Pulmonary Function Testing
A technician will come on site to perform pulmonary function testing, specifically spirometry. This testing measures how well the lungs exhale and looks for any obstructions in the lungs. Employees will be asked to refrain from smoking at least an hour before testing. Then they will breathe into a mouthpiece connected to the spirometer, which will record the amount and rate of air that is breathed in and out over a specified time. 2 Why would you use this type of testing at work? NIOSH says “spirometry can be used to establish a baseline before assigning a worker to job tasks that are physically demanding, that require use of a respirator, or that may expose the worker to respiratory hazards. It is also used to track lung function over time and to evaluate workers who experience signs or symptoms of respiratory disease.”3
Mask Fit Testing
Apex performs qualitative and quantitative mask fits tests to determine if a respirator correctly fits employees. Qualitative testing uses a bitter agent called Bitrex. It is detected by the employee’s sense of taste if the mask does not fit correctly. Quantitative testing measures the adequacy of a respirator’s fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the respirator.4 Why is mask fit testing important? NIOSH says “…to assure the expected level of protection is provided by minimizing the total amount of contaminant leakage into the facepiece. The benefits of this testing include better protection for the employee and verification that the employee is wearing a correctly-fitting model and size of respirator.” One example that Apex could run into onsite is employees wearing masks that are too big for them. This means that they require a smaller option to have adequate protection.
Interested in learning more about bring a respiratory protection program to your workplace? Contact our Occupational Health experts at (519) 896-3330 for more information.