Respiratory Equipment
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Respiratory Equipment Articles
Below is a list of articles that have been published on this topic.
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Long Term Sense
Cementing Respiratory Research
2013-01-21 EHS News: Obstructed airways or reduced lung function and respiratory diseases are still found to a high degree in certain workplaces. The United Nations agency, the International Labour Association (ILO), has
Respirators Help Workers Breathe Easy
2012-11-22 EHS News: The burden of respiratory illness in the world today is a drain on both patients and healthcare systems. Respiratory disorders are a major cause of death and disability for many people. The results a
Confined Spaces - Safe Practise
Operating in the hazardous and unpredictable shipping sector, IACS’s members have an admirably stringent approach to Confined Space safety practise, which they share with HSME readers in this edition.
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Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
Where extreme respiratory risks might be encountered, such as the possible presence of an irrespirable atmosphere, recourse is often necessary to the use of breathing apparatus (BA). In some such situations, breathing air is supplied via an airline rather than carried in a cylinder as a compressed gas. This has the obvious advantage that there is no need for the weight and bulk of the cylinder but, equally obviously, the disadvantage that the wearer is tethered by the airline which has to be dragged around the working area to allow a degree of mobility.
Life Preserving RPE
David Lummis, CEO of the British Safety Industry Federation, discusses the importance of correctly fitting Respiratory Protective Equipment, the factors to take into account when selecting such equipment and UK initiatives that have been set up to help tackle these issues.
Confined Space Safety
POSSIBLE HAZARDS IN CONFINED SPACES According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (OSHA), a confined space is defined by three conditions: 1. It has limited openings for entry and exit 2. It has unfavourable natural ventilation which could contain or produce dangerous air contaminants 3. It is not intended for continuous employee occupancy Confined spaces exist in many different industries and work environments including building construction, water and wastewater treatment and delivery, and agriculture. Confined spaces include, but are not limited to, storage tanks, pits, wells, vats, manholes, tunnels, underground utility vaults, sewers, and grain silos.
Exploring Respiratory Protective Equipment
It's 7am, my first week on the job as the newly designated safety guy for a fabrication shop. The lunch room is filled with 35 men, fatigued, overworked, and absolutely not interested in this whole new ‘safety programme’ the company is embarking on. It's been a tough week getting any signs of interest or cooperation out of these guys including the supervisors. I'm an outsider with a white hard hat - I should have opted for a blue one; they think I'm a safety cop giving them orders.
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The Importance of Workwear
Many employers are aware of their basic duty of care to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at work, but do they really consider the value and the importance of health and safety workwear in their organisation?
Preventing Respiratory Diseases
Every year, hundreds of thousands of workers across the globe are made ill by hazardous substances. They suffer lung diseases including asthma and cancer - diseases which can cost millions of pounds each year in the form of compensation to the individual and their family, for the loss to industry to replace the worker and to society more generally in terms of disabled allowances and medicines.
Have RPE - Will Travel
Have RPE - Will Travel [Jan 2012]. Published in Health and Safety International - Europe's magazine for employee protection and personal protective equipment. HSI Magazine is published in January, April, July and October. It contains legislation updates for the whole of Europe, in-depth articles on Personal Protective Equipment and Company and Product Profiles to help you source the necessary equipment to protect your most valuable asset: your people.
Protecting the Respiratory Tract
Sudden deaths in industry are rare, even in countries with less well developed Health and Safety control, but they still grab the headlines, and still dominate our impressions of industry as a ‘dangerous place’. But the real dangers are far more insidious, and very often the consequences only manifest very much after the event.
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Respiratory Disease [November 2011]
Jill Joyce, senior policy and technical advisor at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), discusses using respiratory protective equipment (RPE) in the workplace and the practical steps that can be taken to reduce respiratory disease.
Chemical Protection
Chemical incidents can be of various types. Some result in the need for minor first aid while others are disastrous accidents, involving the use of hazardous chemicals – which can be toxic, flammable or reactive.
BA Instructor’s View
For the last 13 years I have been training personnel in the use of breathing apparatus and wanted to take this opportunity to express some thoughts I’ve had over the years regarding breathing apparatus.
Face Fit Testing
This article reviews UK practices and improvements made by stakeholder bodies supported by the Health and Safety Executive - including a professionally recognised accreditation scheme which aims to ensure the competency of fit test providers.
While legislation to protect workers included in OSA’s demographics is emerging, consistent regulations have yet to be established. Citing the quite specific experience of UK health and safety practitioners will give Asian readers an idea not only of how lengthy the process of creating coherent safeguards for workers has been, but will also give them insights into the many nuances and subtle distinctions the various elements of legislation embrace, plus the support systems that have developed in terms of legislative enforcement.
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Respiratory Protective Equipment [May 2011]
It is a sad fact that thousands of workers develop lung problems and cancer each year as a result of breathing in harmful quantities of dust, fumes or other airborne contaminants at work. Where toxic substances are present in the workplace and engineering controls are inadequate to reduce or eliminate them, the supply and use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is necessary.
Respiratory Protective Equipment [March 2011]
Many workers are employed in jobs where they are potentially exposed to respiratory hazards. For example, it has been estimated that in the UK alone, about 5.5 million employees could be at risk. Exposure to respiratory hazards can cause ill health or even result in fatal diseases. The risk is not always to the lungs and respiratory passages. Substances that are toxic to other parts of the body can also enter the body via the lungs.
Respiratory Protection [December 2010]
With all the new products being developed, and chemicals being mixed to make those products, sometimes just one breath of a toxic fume could do some permanent damage to you, if not death.
Ensuring Chemical Protection - Minimising the risks chemical hazards can have on workers
The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is the leading trade body within the UK safety industry and an HSE-recognised competent authority. Its members include manufacturers, distributors, test houses, certification bodies, safety professionals and service providers. Here the BSIF looks at the issue of chemical protection and offers advice on how to ensure employees remain safe.
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SCBA - An Overview - Breathing Apparatus for emergency and industrial situations
PPE is normally classified as either simple or complex in design - this is not a statement that I have ever particularly agreed with. In my mind, whatever PPE being used, it either offers the wearer protection or it does not - it’s really simple. In fact the whole aspect of personal protective equipment is simple: it either protects you or it doesn’t.
Respiratory Protection - Breathing Air for Life
An airborne contaminant is any type of material or gas that does not normally occur in the natural ambient atmosphere. Unlike other types of hazards in the workplace, airborne contaminants are often overlooked because of their small size and ubiquitous nature.
Ergonomics of PPE - Ensuring Acceptable Above the Neck Protection
Although it is widely recognised that reduction of any risk at source is to be preferred, in many workplaces Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used, either as the only form of protection or as an additional defence. Taking just one form of protection as an example, research has established that 5.5 million workers are exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace. Of these, approximately 50% wear respiratory protective equipment (RPE). However, it is also estimated that only 50% of these wear equipment that is correctly selected and fitted. It can be calculated from this that only 25% of those at risk are adequately protected which suggests that the remaining 75% could be at risk from respiratory ill health.
Respiratory Protection [June 2010]
Relax and take a deep breath An airborne contaminant is any type of material or gas that does not normally occur in the natural ambient atmosphere. Unlike other types of hazards in the workplace, airborne contaminants are often invisible because of their small size or ubiquitous nature. You may not be able to see, feel or even smell them, however, the lungs are an extremely efficient filter and quickly absorb contaminants from the air we breathe.
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Face Fit Testing
Although workplace legislation and Health and Safety practices vary from country to country, some technical aspects of respirator fitting are fairly consistent. This article highlights UK practices, which may also apply to other countries throughout the world.
Filtrating Respiratory Protection Devices - tools against hazardous particles
Respiratory protective devices provide protection against different types of air contamination e.g. dusts, fumes, gases and vapours that are hazardous for human health. Respirators are generally classified two basic categories: filtering devices – used as the simplest protection equipment against chemical agents, and breathing apparatus – generally used by specially trained end-users in complex environments.
Safeguarding against dangers to breathing is crucial
It only takes three lungfuls of toxic fumes to become unconscious. If you are working on your own, they could be the last three breaths you take. Whether working in confined spaces, in dusty or fume-filled environments, respiratory protective equipment is not a luxury or an optional extra - it’s an essential. If it is neglected or not taken seriously, the consequences could be disastrous.
A Fitting Tribute to Respiratory Safety
Modern respiratory protection represents 200 years of development. It has been tested by war, tempered by fire, and trialled in the harshest working conditions imaginable. It will filter dust, neutralise poisons, capture bacteria and feed fresh air to keep the wearer alive and safe - but only under one condition. The mask has to fit.
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Industrial Breathing Apparatus
Breathing Apparatus can be split into varying categories. These include Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (S.C.B.A.), Escape Breathing Apparatus, Filtration Devices, Airline Systems, Fresh Air Devices and Oxygen Rebreathers (K02). We will look at all these devices and go through each apparatus to explain the differences, explain the selection process and, hopefully, ensure that the next time you require any form of Breathing Apparatus (B.A.) you pick the right one for your application.
Breathe Easy
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) has been placed fi rmly at the bottom of the hierarchy of control and is often referred to as a control measure of last resort. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations have enshrined the hierarchy in legislation for over 20 years. This hierarchy indicates the relative desirability and effi cacy of various forms of control. (See fi gure 1).
Respiratory Protection [November 2008]
Expanding upon the European Directive 98/24/EC of April 19981, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) updated the Controls Of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations in November 2002 and included the requirement that any RPE supplied by the employer is Fit Tested with the wearer.
Asbestos: The Hidden Killer
Every week 20 tradesmen die from asbestos related diseases - and the number is set to increase over the next few years. Steve Coldrick, Director of the Disease Reduction Programme with the Health and Safety Executive explains why a major campaign “Asbestos: The Hidden Killer” will be launched in October to raise awareness of the real risk that tradesmen face.
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Breathing Apparatus
In this article, we will explore the development of respiratory protective equipment (RPE). We will look at its uses over the years, up to and including the latest designs, features and developments; many of which have resulted from lessons learned as a result of tragic events and loss of life.
Breathing In Breathing Out
Using breathing apparatus (BA) should always be considered a final option, taken out of necessity. There are good reasons for this, not least of which is that it only protects the person wearing it. Other workers are potentially at risk and it is far better to remove the hazard by all practicable means than to resort to using BA.
Respiratory Protection [May 2008]
In order to begin to prevent injuries to the respiratory system it is vital to understand and realise what level of airborne particulate or other elements are present in the working environment and of what type.
Face Fit Testing RPE
UK Face Fit Testing Legislation is now nearly five years old. All UK employees who wear tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment (RPE) should, by now, have a certificate to prove that the protective equipment they wear during work not only fits them, but also affords them the effective protection necessary for the task being performed. However, research indicates that this is not the case.
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Respiratory Hazards
Defending against the hazards of contaminated air When the very air that we breathe is contaminated how can we protect ourselves and defend against its hazards?
Respiratory Respite
The most important defence against respiratory hazards is to control the contamination at source and stop it entering the air in the first instance. This however, does not provide the solution to all circumstances and when it does not it will be necessary to use respiratory protective equipment.
Save Your Breath .....
Half a lifetime ago, I spent the interminable hours between the landing of “Eagle” in the Sea of Tranquillity and Neil Armstrong making that “one small step” in the early hours of our morning, following hedgehogs around the garden. At the same age, I was enthralled weekly by the “Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” on TV, and resolved to become a marine biologist - yet another of youth’s unrequited dreams. What linked these two situations was that the environments in which my heroes were operating were so hostile and so alien to humans that their presence there was only possible because they were using complex life-support systems incorporating breathing apparatus. But you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth or beyond to need to use this type of equipment. There are a multitude of uses much closer to home.
Do You Know Your WEL?
Understanding the hazards from welding fumes
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Confined Space Entry
Poe, whilst writing his classic short story, succeeded in conjuring up a vision of "the pit" as a deep, dark place full of grotesque fates for those unfortunate enough to enter. In the modern health and safety context, "the pit" is just one example of the broad range of confined space entry scenarios. All of which are capable of bringing injury, illness and death to the unaware, untrained, unassessed and the unprepared.
Respiratory Protection [April 2006]
Changes in Europe within the field of respiratory protection against solid and liquid particles.
Above the Neck Protection
To prevent ourselves coming to injury or harm while going about our jobs, we are nowadays accustomed to using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to minimise exposure to hazardous substances and offer protection in case of an accident. However, personal protective equipment is not the only route that offers protection as good work practices and organisational controls can also be used as valid risk reduction techniques.
Respiratory Protection [October 2005]
The respiratory system is the main weak point of the body for the defence against hazardous airborne substances. Gases and vapours (e.g. corrosive gases, organic vapours), airborne solid particles (e.g. dust, fume), liquid aerosols (e.g. oil mist) and also biological agents can easily pass through the airways to the lungs.
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Eliminate The Risks
Under the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 employers have a legal duty to protect their employees (and anyone else affected) during their work activities.
Attack of The Killer Spaces
Mise en scène - It's more like a scene from a Hammer Horror B-movie than reality, but it actually does happen, at least once a year. Someone goes into a harmless-looking opening, perhaps to retrieve something they have dropped, or just for a look, and they don't come out.
Measuring CO2 from Our Breathing Soil
The increase of the global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is by many scientists regarded as the most severe environmental problem we are facing today because of its impact on the global warming and consequential effects such as possible sea level rise, retreat of glaciers, changes in intensities of tropical cyclones and severe local storm activity.
The Use of Breathing Apparatus
Lloyds Environmental Waste Management Ltd was formed in April 1993 as a liquid waste tankering company. Since then they have become one of the leading waste management and drainage specialists in the UK boasting a blue chip customer base right across the country. During this time, the organisation has also become a specialist oil and chemical spill responder and offers an emergency response service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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Respiratory Protective Equipment [July 2004]
Three out of four fire fatalities are caused by smoke inhalation and most lung and chest related diseases including cancers are a result of long-term exposure to various dusts, fumes or particle filled atmospheres.
Common Sense and Competence
How to Manage Asbestos (or from 21st May 2004: Why not to panic!)
Respiratory Disease [July 2003]
The fumes from the acid pickling bath begin to burn the lining of your throat and lungs, and you wonder whether the respirator you are wearing has been selected and maintained correctly.
Respiratory Protection for Industry
Whilst circumstances will generally dictate which form of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is most suitable to a particular application, recent technological advancements have meant that there is now much more of a choice within those parameters.
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