Workers across diverse industries are mandated to wear respirators, crucial safeguards against inadequate oxygen environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. Exposure to these hazards can lead to severe consequences, including cancer, lung impairment, diseases, or even death. Non-compliance with the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard results in hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses each year.
Now, let’s delve into the various types of respirators.
Types of Respirators
Respirators, categorized as personal protective equipment (PPE), necessitate employers to ensure both usage and proper training. Training should encompass criteria such as PPE selection, donning and doffing, limitations, inspection, cleaning, care, maintenance, and storage. This forms a vital part of an effective employer PPE program. Importantly, respirators should only be used when engineering control systems are unfeasible or insufficient, with adequate ventilation or scrubbing of contaminants being the preferred control methods.
Respirators differ in type, size, and protection factors. There are two primary types:
Air-purifying Respirators (APRs):
These remove contaminants from the air. Examples include:
- Elastomeric Half Facepiece Respirators: Reusable with replaceable cartridges or filters, covering the nose and mouth, and protecting against gases, vapors, or particles.
- Elastomeric Full Facepiece Respirators: Reusable with replaceable canisters, cartridges, or filters, covering the face and eyes, and offering eye protection.
- Filtering Facepiece Respirators: Disposable, filtering out particles like dusts, mists, and fumes but do not protect against gases and vapors.
- Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs): Equipped with a battery-powered blower, pulling air through attached filters, canisters, or cartridges, protecting against gases, vapors, or particles.
Atmosphere Supplying Respirators (ASRs):
These provide clean breathing air from a separate source, protecting against various airborne contaminants. Examples include:
- Supplied Air Respirators (SARs): Connected to an external source supplying breathing air via a hose.
- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs): Used for entry into or escape from Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) environments, containing their breathing air supply, either open or closed circuit.
- Combination Respirators: Can be either supplied-air/SCBA or supplied-air/air-purifying respirators, offering versatility but limited for entry into IDLH environments.
NIOSH Approved Respirators:
Select respirators approved and certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). NIOSH approval ensures compliance with health and safety standards, with certification appearing on the respirator or its packaging.
Masks vs. Respirators:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion arose over respirator definitions. Cloth and procedural masks are not classified as respirators. However, certain filtering facepiece respirators like the N95 are considered respirators, falling under OSHA Respiratory Protection standard requirements.
Conclusion:
Respirator standards, developed collaboratively with government and industry partners, ensure worker safety. Reputable vendors, backed by subject matter expertise, manufacture and distribute respirators. NIOSH’s Certified Equipment List webpage offers valuable resources for selecting approved respirators. Employers and workers alike must be informed and diligent in choosing and using respirators for a safe working environment.
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