An Effective System for Identifying, Reporting and Acting Upon Hazards Helps to Prevent

School of Life RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE Scienc EQUIPMENT es G/PPE 30

Introduction

Breathing in of hazardous substances, such as dusts, fumes, vapours, gases or even micro-organisms can cause permanent damage to health or in some cases death. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require assessment of the health risks and precautions required to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances. The first priority should always be to prevent exposure or, if this is not possible, to control it at source, for example by effective local exhaust ventilation. If direct prevention or control of exposure to such substances is not possible then Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) may be needed, but it should always be considered a measure of last resort in the hierarchy of control measures.

Circumstances in which the use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is justified

 Exposures exceed the appropriate occupational exposure limit s and control measures are in the process of being installed. Suitable RPE may be an acceptable means of controlling exposures in the mean time;  Emergency work, such as the containment of spills;  Exposures of short duration, where permanent installation of other control measures is not reasonably practicable;  All other practicable controls are in place but there is still a residual risk for which suitable RPE exists;  RPE is needed for escape purposes in the event of plant failure;

Rules for use of RPE

 RPE should only be used as a last resort when selecting appropriate control measures – engineering controls protect everyone in the workplace, RPE only protects the person wearing it. Also if worn incorrectly or badly maintained it may not offer the protection assumed;  All users of RPE within the School who require the RPE to control exposure to hazardous substances must be fit-tested for each model of RPE they use and trained in the correct methods of selection and fitting of RPE and subsequent cleaning, maintenance and storage of the RPE;  A visual inspection of the RPE must be carried out prior to each use in order to check, where appropriate, the condition of the filter, battery, airflow rate and fittings;  The RPE should be stored in an appropriate location to protect it from excess moisture, harmful contaminants, heat, cold, sunlight or corrosive substances;  Staff required to use air-fed breathing apparatus must be medically examined before being allowed to do so.

Types of RPE

RPE includes a wide range of devices from simple respirators offering basic protection against low levels of harmful dusts to self contained breathing apparatus. Its common function is to provide the wearer with a supply of air which is safe to breathe. It can be divided into two major classes, according to the basic principle by which protection is given to the wearer:

1. Respirator (filtering device)

Equipment such as face masks and powered respirators, which take in contaminated air from the workplace and filter or clean it before it is inhaled. They are not suitable for use in situations where the amount of oxygen in the air may be deficient, e.g. in confined spaces. Please note, “nuisance dust masks” are not protective devices and should not be used to protect against hazardous dusts.

Issued: 22nd July 2004 Page 1 of 4 Rev 1.0 School of Life RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE Scienc EQUIPMENT es G/PPE 30

Disposable particle filtering face pieces, mainly formed from filtering material. They may or may not have valves (EN149). They are classified as FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 in order of increasing filter efficiency

Disposable valved filtering half mask for removal of gas, vapour and combination particulate hazards (EN405).

Reusable half mask without inhalation valve, with separable filters (EN 1827)

Reusable half mask with inhalation valve with separable filters (En140)

Full face mask with separable filters (EN136)

Hoods/helmets/visors used with a battery powered filter unit

Respirators should have the correct type of filter matched to the substance(s) from which the wearer needs protection. Particle filters will not remove gases, gas/vapour filters are not designed to remove particles. However, suitable combined filters may be available which will remove both.

Respirator filters are classified and colour coded:

SUBSTANCE FILTER TYPE COLOUR

Particles P White Organic Gases and Vapours (BP>650C) as specified by the A Brown manufacturer Inorganic Gases and Vapours as B Grey specified by the manufacturer Sulphur Dioxide and other Acid and Gas Vapours, as specified E Yellow by the manufacturer Ammonia and Organic Ammonia Derivatives, as specified by the K Green manufacturer Hg Mercury Must incorporate P3 filter and Red-White maximum use is 50 hours NO Oxides of Nitrogen Must incorporate P3 filter, single Brown use only Filters against Specific SX Violet Substances, as specified by the Marked with the name of the Violet-White if combined with manufacturer chemical particle filter

2. Breathing Apparatus

Equipment such as air-fed hoods and self-contained breathing apparatus, which deliver uncontaminated air from an independent source to the wearer. Such equipment can be used against any form of contaminant.

It is not anticipated that the use of breathing apparatus will be required by members of the School, however should there be a need, the School Safety Adviser should be contacted for further information and advice.

Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) Selection

All RPE must be marked with a ‘CE’ symbol. This means it meets the minimum legal requirements. Some equipment manufactured before 1st July 1995, that is not CE marked may still be used with Health and Safety Executive approval.

RPE must be suitable for:  The substance and exposure concentrations (expected or measured)  The task  The wearer and the environment concerned

A 2-stage selection process is recommended:

Stage 1 – Appropriate types of RPE

 Will the atmosphere contain sufficient oxygen?  Which hazardous substances are likely to be present and what are their properties?  What form do the air contaminants take – fume, vapour, mist, dust…?  What are the likely concentrations in the atmosphere?  What are the relevant occupational exposure limits?

Stage 2 – Personal & work related factors

 What other PPE is required to be worn for the activity concerned, are all forms compatible?  How often and for what duration will the RPE be worn?  In what conditions will the work be carried out

RPE must be selected on the basis of its protection performance

MPR (minimum protection required) = Workplace concentration outside the RPE Max allowable concentration in the face-piece Compare the MPR with the Assigned Protection Factor – select RPE with a higher APF than the MPR.

Valved Filtering Particle Filtering Filtering Half Masks without Half Mask (EN140) and Half Mask – Half Mask inhalation valves (EN1827), with Filter (EN143) APF gases/gases and (EN149) separable filters particles (EN405) 4 FFP1 FFGas*+P1 FMP1 Mask+P1 FFGas FMP2 Mask+P2 10 FFP2 FFGas+P2 FMGas+P3 Mask+Gas FFGas +P3 FMGas Mask+Gas+P3 20 FFP3 Mask+P3

Full Face Mask (EN136) and Filter Powered Hoods Power Assisted Masks (EN147) APF (EN143) (EN146) 4 Mask+P1 10 Mask+P2 TH1 TM1 Mask+Gas TM2 20 TH2 Mask+Gas+P3 TM3 Half mask 40 Mask+P3 TH3 TM3

The Assigned Protection Factor (APF) is based on workplace protection factor studies and listed in BS4275. For example an APF of 4 would be appropriate to remove 75% of the substance it is being used to protect against, an APF of 10 to remove 90% and an APF of 20 to remove 95%. However, it should be recognised that protection levels below APF are possible where RPE is unsuitable for the task and is not suited to the substances concerned, the wearer and the environment.

Issued: 22nd July 2004 Page 4 of 4 Rev 1.0