Personal Protective Equipment: Respirator Usage and Safety

During an animal health emergency, exposure to Selecting a Respirator airborne hazards, such as zoonotic disease agents or chemicals, may occur. A number of different  Type of hazards respirators are available and when used correctly can  Particulate vs. gasses or vapors provide various levels of protection.  Identity and concentration of the contaminant Respirators  Level of protection provided by respirator  Activity of the person wearing the respirator  A personal protective device worn on the face. It covers the nose and mouth and is specifically Standards and Regulations designed to provide respiratory protection by

forming a tight seal against the wearer’s skin.  OSHA -Occupational Safety and Health Administration  Respirators vary in their level of protection and  29 Code of Federal Regulations. Part 1910 – efficiency to filter out airborne particles such as dust, Occupational Safety and Health Standards pathogens, gases, or vapors, or chemical splash.  Part 1910.134: Respiratory Protection Classification of Respirators  http://www.osha.gov  NIOSH - National Institute for Occupational  Air-Purifying Respirators Safety and Health  Removes contaminants from the air  http://KnowIts.NIOSH.gov  Particulate respirators - Particulate Filtering Facepiece (N95s) Proper Use of Respirators - Elastomeric Respirators

- Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs)  Fit-testing

 “Gas mask” respirators  To determine the make, model, and size of respirator that fits; uses qualitative or  Air-Supplying Respirators quantitative check

 Provides clean source of air  Video about fit testing - Supplied air respirators (SAR) https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotect - Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) ion/training_videos.html  OSHA Videos on Respirator Types  Seal check

 https://www.osha.gov/video/respiratory_prote  To ensure adequate seal is achieved each time ction/resptypes.html the respirator is put on; uses positive and NIOSH Particulate Filter Categories negative pressure checks  Video about seal checking Minimum N series R Series P Series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzpz5fko-fg Filter Not Somewhat Strongly  Training Efficiency resistant resistant resistant  Proper donning and doffing to oil to oil to oil  Video about training requirements https://www.osha.gov/video/respiratory_prote 95% N95 R95 P95 ction/training.html  Medical evaluation 99% N99 R99 P99  Personal health questions and medications  Work conditions 100% P100  Video about medical evaluations N100 R100 (99.97%) (~HEPA) https://www.osha.gov/video/respiratory_prote ction/medevaluations.html

Just-In-Time training materials can be found at http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Emergency-Response/just-in-time-training.php

Source: NIOSH Respirator Awareness: Your Health May Depend On It at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-138/pdfs/2013-138.pdf

Exterior Markings of NIOSH-Approved Safe Respirator Usage Filtering Facepiece Respirators (diagram)  Do not use a respirator unless formally trained 1. NIOSH TC (Testing and Certification) Approval and fit tested Number. Here the example is TC-84A-xxxx. All  Select the correct respirator for the job NIOSH approval numbers begin with the letters TC.  Particulate filter will not protect against gases/vapors 2. Brand name, registered trademark, or an easily understood abbreviation  Inspect the respirator before each use  3. NIOSH name in block letters or a NIOSH logo Ensure the face seal  Shave any facial hair 4. Filter Class (N, P, or R) and Filter Efficiency Level  Prevent hair or eyeglasses from interfering (95, 99, or 100)  Do not wear contact lenses with a respirator 5. Lot Number - recommended but not required Before Usage 6. Model Number  Inspect all parts of the respirator before use Health Effects When Wearing Respirators  The facepiece, head straps, valves, tubes,  Increased resistance to breathing hoses, and any cartridges, canisters or filters  Check parts for pliability or deterioration  Reduced endurance  Check that batteries are charged  Reduced visual field  Ensure proper air flow  Increased risk for heat stress  Decreased voice clarity/loudness  Do NOT use the respirator if it is not working properly!  Decreased hearing ability

 Discomfort or irritation

 Psychological stress

Just-In-Time training materials can be found at http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Emergency-Response/just-in-time-training.php During Usage Respirator Storage  Immediately leave contaminated area if the  Store in accordance with manufacturer’s respirator stops working instructions  Immediately leave contaminated area if you feel  Check expiration dates nauseous, dizzy or ill, or have difficulty  Never use and discard if: breathing  Color changes  Return to fresh air and remove the respirator  Shrinking  Never remove a respirator in contaminated  Wearing/thinning of material area  Stretching  Once in a safe area, check if the canister,  Cuts/tears/holes cartridge, or filter  Replace if user notices an odor, taste, or Additional Resources throat irritation  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health  Replace any wet, damaged, and grossly (NIOSH) – Respirators contaminated cartridges/canisters http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/  If using battery operated respirators (PAPRs),  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) –  Do not work in contaminated conditions Respiratory Protection longer than the battery will last https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotection/  Check the battery periodically to make sure  OSHA Respirator Training Videos enough power is left to finish the job https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/respiratoryprotection/trainin  If not, stop and get a fully charged battery g_videos.html#video from a safe area.  U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Masks and N95 Respirators  If using SCBA respirators, http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/productsandmedical  Only work as long as the air supply will last procedures/generalhospitaldevicesandsupplies/personal  Do not try to test the limit protectiveequipment/ucm055977.htm

 When the air supply is getting low, return to a  U.S. Department of Agriculture – Foreign Animal Disease safe area for a full tank Preparedness and Response Plan (FAD PReP) NAHEMS Guidelines: Personal Protective Equipment Cleaning http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_ma  Follow manufacturer’s cleaning guidelines nagement/downloads/nahems_guidelines/fadprep_nahe ms_guidelines_ppe_final_april2011.pdf  Warm water/mild detergent  Disinfectant solution  Rinse thoroughly Development of this educational material was by the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University through  Dry thoroughly funding from the Multi-State Partnership for Security in Agriculture  Never soak entire unit in detergent MOU-2014-HSEMD-002. June 2014. Revised July 2014.  Do not use solvents 

Just-In-Time training materials can be found at http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Emergency-Response/just-in-time-training.php