Respirators

Nebraska Extension (Jan Hygnstrom) Author

10/09/2019 Added

10 Plays

Description

Types of respirators and filters; NIOSH codes; medical evaluations; fit test, seal check, annual training.

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[00:00:05.760]I wanted to talk a little bit
[00:00:07.100]about the types of respirators.
[00:00:08.630]There's two main types,
[00:00:09.850]an air-purifying and an air-supplying.
[00:00:12.940]And first let's talk about the air-purifying.
[00:00:15.470]These are ones where you're just breathing the ambient air,
[00:00:19.150]and the air is going in through
[00:00:21.000]some filters that's doing the purifying, okay?
[00:00:23.690]Some examples of those are in the bottom corner.
[00:00:26.100]You see those, a filtering face mask,
[00:00:29.460]or we sometimes call them a dust mask.
[00:00:32.620]Next to it is a half-mask respirator
[00:00:35.550]and it has some filters on the side.
[00:00:37.650]The next picture are some different
[00:00:39.060]cartridges that offer protection.
[00:00:41.930]Next we have the full-face mask respirator
[00:00:45.352]and then next to it is another,
[00:00:47.510]these are all air-purifying respirators now,
[00:00:49.710]they take the ambient air when you inhale
[00:00:52.910]and filter out before it reaches you.
[00:00:55.610]The next one is a little different one.
[00:00:57.230]It's called a Powered Air Purifying Respirator or a PAPR,
[00:01:02.010]and you can see there's a little battery
[00:01:03.950]that he's wearing around his waist.
[00:01:06.500]The battery powers a fan that draws in air
[00:01:10.890]that goes through the tube into the mask,
[00:01:13.890]so air is constantly flowing,
[00:01:15.790]in this case, he's wearing a helmet.
[00:01:18.030]The air is constantly flowing through and underneath
[00:01:21.360]and going out down underneath the mask.
[00:01:23.910]So something I wanted to mention
[00:01:25.480]was the previous masks that I talked about,
[00:01:28.500]the half-mask and the full-face mask,
[00:01:32.010]they have a tight seal around.
[00:01:33.680]We don't want any air to enter underneath.
[00:01:36.260]But it's a little different with some of the PAPRs,
[00:01:38.770]the Powered Air Purifying Respirators.
[00:01:41.320]The helmets and hoods do have air flowing
[00:01:44.020]in through underneath and escaping,
[00:01:47.720]and so in those cases it is not considered a tight-fitting,
[00:01:51.800]instead that's a loose-fitting respirator,
[00:01:53.830]and we'll talk about that a little bit more
[00:01:55.590]and you'll understand the difference.
[00:01:58.420]Finally, we have the other type,
[00:02:00.360]the air-supplying respirator.
[00:02:02.270]This you carry the air either in a tank on your back,
[00:02:05.450]or there might be a compressor that has an air line to it.
[00:02:08.930]So you're actually inhaling purified air.
[00:02:14.040]So that's the difference between the air-purifying
[00:02:16.230]and the air-supplying.
[00:02:17.360]Air-supplying is something you'd probably be using more
[00:02:19.860]in a fumigation situation.
[00:02:22.120]They're more expensive, more training is required,
[00:02:26.350]and in that situation for fumigation,
[00:02:28.630]that's why the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
[00:02:31.900]really recommends you hire a professional
[00:02:34.020]for those type of applications.
[00:02:37.580]Okay, so then, we have a couple different kinds of filters.
[00:02:42.790]One is the particulate filter,
[00:02:44.500]and here we have an example of one.
[00:02:46.530]The particulate filters filter out small dust particles,
[00:02:51.710]or they can actually filter out small mist particles.
[00:02:55.260]They don't do anything for gasses.
[00:02:58.120]And what we're really concerned about with particulate
[00:03:00.550]filters is how they react or how they handle oil.
[00:03:03.890]And what do I mean by oil?
[00:03:05.470]Well, we have a definition.
[00:03:06.800]Mineral, vegetable and synthetic substances,
[00:03:09.680]and animal and vegetable fats that are generally slippery,
[00:03:12.810]combustible, viscous, liquid at room temperatures,
[00:03:16.170]and soluble in various organic solvents, but not in water.
[00:03:20.100]Okay, and why are we concerned about that?
[00:03:21.830]Some pesticides do have oils in them,
[00:03:25.090]or there might be a formulation that contains oils.
[00:03:28.230]So the particulate filters may have
[00:03:30.650]to be able to handle that.
[00:03:32.290]So we have three ratings in terms of particulate filters.
[00:03:35.235]It might have an N, meaning it's not resistant to oil,
[00:03:39.430]that it won't keep oil out.
[00:03:41.560]It's an R, which is somewhat resistant.
[00:03:44.140]It could last for up to eight hours.
[00:03:46.110]Or P is oil-proof, that means it can
[00:03:48.870]protect you against oils.
[00:03:51.130]Okay, so you see here as an example, it has a P.
[00:03:54.320]So that means that it's oil-proof.
[00:03:56.700]And next, besides those letters,
[00:03:58.640]there are some numbers associated with the filters.
[00:04:01.440]For example, 95 means it removes 95%
[00:04:05.310]of particulates .3 microns or larger.
[00:04:08.840]So what in the world is a micron?
[00:04:11.200]I found a really nice EPA graphic here.
[00:04:14.160]You can see at the bottom, there's some fine beach sand,
[00:04:17.250]and think about it, you can hold sand in your hand
[00:04:19.890]and see the granules with your naked eye.
[00:04:22.850]And those are about 90 microns in diameter.
[00:04:26.160]Above that, there's a human hair.
[00:04:28.070]And a human hair is about 50 to 70 microns in diameter.
[00:04:32.020]A horse hair for example, might be
[00:04:33.680]a little bigger than that.
[00:04:36.539]Next, going down the hair, you see PM10.
[00:04:41.170]That's less than 10 microns.
[00:04:45.040]Dust or pollen or mold would be in that size.
[00:04:48.950]And then up at the top, there are combustion particles,
[00:04:52.350]organic compounds and metals that are less than 2.5 microns.
[00:04:58.310]So you can't see those without any assistance
[00:05:02.530]by microscopes or something.
[00:05:04.480]But remember we were talking about things .3 microns
[00:05:07.840]or less, so even smaller than that, these filters will work.
[00:05:11.810]So let's go back to that, 95 removes 95%
[00:05:15.490]of the particulates .3 microns or larger.
[00:05:18.650]99 removes 99% of the particulates, and 100,
[00:05:23.170]if it has a rating of 100, it removes 99.7%
[00:05:27.160]of those size particulates, which is basically all.
[00:05:31.640]Then there is one more rating you might see, it's HE.
[00:05:34.910]That means high efficiency, and that's basically,
[00:05:38.760]removing 99.7% of those particulates
[00:05:41.950]three microns or larger.
[00:05:44.990]All right, so now, if you remember, I mentioned NIOSH.
[00:05:48.150]NIOSH means the National Institute
[00:05:51.110]Of Occupational Safety And Health.
[00:05:53.460]And they do the testing on all respirators.
[00:05:56.550]And whenever you are using a respirator,
[00:05:59.170]it has to be NIOSH-approved, and you'll actually see
[00:06:01.526]NIOSH on the respirator itself.
[00:06:04.110]And I wanted to go through some examples here.
[00:06:07.100]So there are the particulate filters.
[00:06:08.770]Remember those filter out mists or dusts?
[00:06:12.190]And you'll see it's N, R or P, 95, 99, or 100.
[00:06:17.320]And you can see here's an example.
[00:06:19.160]There's a P-100, and both of them are,
[00:06:22.330]just different shapes of different particulate filters.
[00:06:26.430]So these are examples of particulate filters.
[00:06:29.091]The first two are those filtering face piece respirators.
[00:06:34.100]And something I wanted to point out
[00:06:36.120]is notice both of them have two straps.
[00:06:39.470]You might see these in your hardware store.
[00:06:42.170]These are not NIOSH, they're never gonna be NIOSH-approved.
[00:06:45.630]They only have one strap.
[00:06:47.230]You just can't get a good seal.
[00:06:49.120]Remember I said these have to be tight-fitting?
[00:06:52.090]They need a tight-fitting seal.
[00:06:54.450]You just won't get that with this.
[00:06:56.810]So, if you see something with one strap,
[00:06:59.830]just forget about it.
[00:07:00.663]Go right away to a two strap.
[00:07:03.590]The first one, you can buy for $1.50,
[00:07:07.062]and that one, yeah, and you can see it says TC-84A.
[00:07:12.570]That means it's a particulate filter respirator.
[00:07:17.040]Next to it is a little higher priced, but more effective.
[00:07:21.570]The two straps are adjustable.
[00:07:23.780]And also, you see that yellow in the middle?
[00:07:26.570]That's an exhalation valve.
[00:07:28.240]So when you are inhaling and exhaling,
[00:07:32.060]it's an area where moisture can escape.
[00:07:34.790]Those range from three to nine dollars a piece.
[00:07:38.040]The more protection, such as like the P-100
[00:07:41.280]probably would be more in the $9 range.
[00:07:45.120]And then finally, we have the full-face mask respirator.
[00:07:49.570]And this one has two particulate filters on the bottom.
[00:07:53.120]You can see those pink or magenta filters.
[00:07:56.500]One thing really nice, and it's $125, so quit a bit
[00:08:00.220]more expensive, but one thing really nice about these
[00:08:04.060]is when you find one that fits, when you get one that fits,
[00:08:07.596]you can interchange different cartridges
[00:08:11.040]for those particulate filters, and use it for a number
[00:08:14.960]of different purposes and a number of different pesticides.
[00:08:20.780]Okay, so we covered the particulate filters,
[00:08:23.420]next we have the chemical cartridges, our TC...
[00:08:26.800]And I should say TC means Tested and Certified by NIOSH.
[00:08:29.700]The TC-23C, and here you can see, first we have the black
[00:08:35.561]half-face respirator, the half-mask.
[00:08:38.120]And this one you can see it has a black cartridge.
[00:08:41.200]Those black cartridges mean that they will provide
[00:08:44.870]protection against organic vapors.
[00:08:47.140]And these cartridges are color-coded.
[00:08:49.710]Next to it is a full-face mask respirator,
[00:08:52.520]and it too has black cartridges.
[00:08:54.250]You can see the black along the edge.
[00:08:56.210]One thing I wanted to point out is,
[00:08:58.050]look especially, you can see the tight-fitting seal
[00:09:00.880]around that full-face mask around his face.
[00:09:04.130]It does not allow air to enter underneath it.
[00:09:07.130]And up at the top, there's a black cartridge,
[00:09:09.350]and there's an example of another organic chemical
[00:09:12.429]cartridge, it's kind of an olive green.
[00:09:15.780]It also provides some protection against other gasses.
[00:09:21.010]Okay, then something that's really helpful is
[00:09:24.810]you can get combination filters.
[00:09:26.610]They will protect you against particulates,
[00:09:29.160]as well as chemicals.
[00:09:31.310]And you get these cartridges to fit your respirator.
[00:09:36.714]Okay, next, remember we talked about the PAPRs,
[00:09:39.540]the Power Air Purifying Respirator?
[00:09:41.504]If it has a particulate filter, it's a TC-21C.
[00:09:45.310]And again, it has the battery pack.
[00:09:47.400]And down below, I have an example
[00:09:49.460]of the loose-fitting hood and helmet.
[00:09:52.940]And over on the side, it's the tight-fitting
[00:09:55.430]fit full-face mask.
[00:09:57.228]Okay, so keep those in mind.
[00:10:01.360]All right, now we've gone through,
[00:10:02.929]now we should be able to understand it.
[00:10:04.940]A NIOSH-approved dust/mist filtering respirator,
[00:10:08.810]so we know NIOSH is the National Institute
[00:10:11.070]of Occupational Safety and Health,
[00:10:13.110]with any N, R, P, or HE filter.
[00:10:16.810]So that means that, with this particular pesticide,
[00:10:22.070]there apparently aren't any oils involved
[00:10:24.100]because you can even use an N filter.
[00:10:26.280]What they're concerned about is the particulates.
[00:10:29.170]Okay, or you can use the NIOSH-approved dust/mist
[00:10:32.370]filtering respirator with the approval number prefix TC-21C.
[00:10:36.980]So that was the PAPR, with the particulate filters.
[00:10:42.330]So that gives you an example of what a respirator
[00:10:46.847]information might be like on a label.
[00:10:50.380]Okay, then another type of respirator that you might
[00:10:53.884]consider is a gas mask with a canister, that's a TC-14G.
[00:10:59.080]Here you can see, it just has one canister
[00:11:01.370]down at the bottom.
[00:11:02.620]These are more expensive.
[00:11:03.673]The canisters themselves are more expensive.
[00:11:06.149]They might last longer.
[00:11:09.680]Then finally, there's the self-contained
[00:11:12.390]breathing apparatus, the SCBA.
[00:11:14.820]And here he's got it on his back.
[00:11:16.930]That's a TC-13F.
[00:11:20.900]Okay, so now some important things
[00:11:23.070]to think about respirators is, when the label says you need
[00:11:26.523]to wear a respirator, you do need to wear a respirator.
[00:11:30.252]But first, you have to have a medical evaluation.
[00:11:33.860]Wearing a respirator puts stress on your respiratory system,
[00:11:37.560]and on your heart, so you have to have a medical evaluation
[00:11:41.650]to make sure you can handle it.
[00:11:43.440]If you have heart problems.
[00:11:44.910]If you have asthma, you might have to adjust
[00:11:48.011]or wear a different type of respirator.
[00:11:51.640]So after you have the medical evaluation
[00:11:53.810]and are cleared to be able to wear a respirator,
[00:11:56.300]you have to have a fit test.
[00:11:57.850]And what this fit test is, it's for those tight-fitting
[00:12:02.490]respirators, remember, we talked about.
[00:12:04.710]The fit test is for, you have to have one
[00:12:07.530]for every respirator that you will be using.
[00:12:10.810]And it's specific to not only the style
[00:12:13.010]and the model, but the size.
[00:12:15.150]So you get fitted for each one and approved.
[00:12:18.580]And again, those loose-fitting, you don't need
[00:12:21.490]that tight seal, so you don't have to have the fit test.
[00:12:24.270]And you do, an example of that is
[00:12:27.010]the PAPR with the helmet and the hood.
[00:12:30.610]And here's what it looks like.
[00:12:32.810]The fit test, what it is basically, it's done once a year,
[00:12:36.400]and with all the respirators that you would be using
[00:12:40.100]and it's to, the test would be, if you're wearing it,
[00:12:44.340]you should not be able to smell or taste
[00:12:47.132]a chemical substance that is being waved around.
[00:12:50.950]And that might a bitter taste or a saccharine taste.
[00:12:53.570]So that's what the fit test is.
[00:12:55.870]And finally, after you've gone through those,
[00:12:58.220]you have to have annual training.
[00:13:00.020]And the training is to make sure you understand
[00:13:03.070]why you're wearing the respirator, how to put it on,
[00:13:06.560]how to take it off, how to maintain it,
[00:13:10.340]and how to clean it, and also,
[00:13:12.420]how to know if it's not working.
[00:13:14.200]If you can taste or smell chemicals,
[00:13:17.770]or if you start feeling sick to your stomach, or nauseous,
[00:13:21.144]immediately get out into fresh air
[00:13:24.750]and take off the respirator and check it.
[00:13:27.590]So that's what the training is.
[00:13:28.900]And again, the training is annual.
[00:13:31.790]Okay, so now, something I wanted to talk about is,
[00:13:36.153]we'll do a seal check demonstration in a minute.
[00:13:39.340]Whenever you wear a respirator, you have to do a seal check.
[00:13:42.920]This helps you determine if that respirator,
[00:13:46.490]now you've already been fit tested so we know that
[00:13:48.810]that size and the that style
[00:13:50.450]fits your particular face shape.
[00:13:53.020]Whenever you put it on, you do a seal check
[00:13:55.520]to make sure that you've got it
[00:13:56.850]positioned properly on your face.
[00:13:59.530]And when you do a seal check,
[00:14:02.760]you should be wearing whatever PPE you need.
[00:14:05.450]If you're supposed to wear safety goggles or something,
[00:14:08.890]other eye protection, you should put that on.
[00:14:11.490]And if you do need to wear eye protection,
[00:14:13.430]wear the eye protection when you're
[00:14:15.060]doing the seal check as well.
[00:14:17.780]You do have to be clean-shaven,
[00:14:19.760]so the seal is not compromised.
[00:14:22.060]A beard, beard stubble, mustache, stray hairs,
[00:14:25.350]or even a low hairline could prevent that mask
[00:14:28.060]from forming a tight seal against your face,
[00:14:30.910]and that would allow unfiltered air to be inhaled.
[00:14:34.030]And another example, piercings might interfere with that.
[00:14:38.010]Okay, now I'm gonna ask, Frank Bright is here
[00:14:40.690]from the PSEP program.
[00:14:42.130]Frank is gonna demonstrate a seal check
[00:14:44.160]with a half-mask respirator, okay Frank?
[00:14:47.050]And first what he's gonna do is he's gonna check
[00:14:49.680]the respirator for breaks or cracks or tears.
[00:14:54.060]And if everything looks good, and does it look okay?
[00:14:55.923]Mm hmm. All right.
[00:14:57.370]All right, so he's gonna put the respirator on his face.
[00:15:00.210]He's gonna hold it up, and pull the top,
[00:15:02.940]and some like this one, it's a halo shape.
[00:15:05.930]He's gonna pull that plastic strap
[00:15:07.880]over the top of his head and adjust it.
[00:15:10.449]Next, he's gonna connect the straps that go behind his neck
[00:15:14.430]and pull the loose ends of the strap
[00:15:16.150]so they fit and they're comfortable.
[00:15:17.870]Don't make it too tight.
[00:15:19.660]It has to be comfortable because you might be wearing
[00:15:21.840]that respirator for a couple of hours.
[00:15:24.430]Now when Frank thinks he has a tight seal, you think you do?
[00:15:28.300]He's gonna perform a seal check.
[00:15:30.190]And one thing I wanted to say is if the manufacturer
[00:15:32.900]of the respirator has instructions,
[00:15:34.590]follow those instructions, for both the seal check
[00:15:37.510]and for putting it on.
[00:15:39.710]But these are basically, some general instructions.
[00:15:42.340]So first he's gonna do a positive seal check.
[00:15:44.990]He's gonna cover the exhalation valve in front
[00:15:47.760]of the respirator with his palm,
[00:15:49.440]and he's going to gently exhale.
[00:15:52.510]If he can do this without feeling or hearing a rush of air
[00:15:56.990]around the faceplate, he has a good seal.
[00:15:59.420]Does that feel okay?
[00:16:00.530]All right, good.
[00:16:02.240]Then he's gonna do a negative seal check.
[00:16:04.450]He's gonna cover the intake portion
[00:16:06.550]of each of the two cartridges
[00:16:07.930]with the palm of his hands and inhale gently.
[00:16:10.750]And if the seal's good, he should not be able
[00:16:13.650]to pull in any air through the faceplate
[00:16:16.230]and you can't, okay, and you can't hear it either, great.
[00:16:19.500]So that one fits him well.
[00:16:21.640]Okay good, thank you, all right.
[00:16:24.190]So, if either the positive or negative seal check
[00:16:27.365]shows that the seal is not good, check carefully
[00:16:30.610]around the faceplate for damages or obstructions.
[00:16:33.450]Now if you have hair in between, even hair at the top
[00:16:36.410]of your face, if that's underneath,
[00:16:38.650]that would also compromise the seal.
[00:16:41.170]So, if you do think that it does not have a good seal,
[00:16:45.050]take the face mask off completely,
[00:16:46.990]check it over and put it on again.
[00:16:49.740]And keep any hair or anything out of the way
[00:16:52.130]and do the seal check again.
[00:16:54.380]In some cases, maybe something has changed
[00:16:58.210]in terms of your face, maybe you've lost weight
[00:17:00.310]or gained weight, you'd have to get another fit test,
[00:17:04.330]if you're gonna use a different respirator.
[00:17:07.250]Okay, if you're going to use a different size
[00:17:09.290]or style, I should say.
[00:17:12.168]Okay, and now you have to do a seal check
[00:17:15.130]for those disposable particulate filter masks as well.
[00:17:18.640]So first check the manufacturer's instructions
[00:17:21.240]for the correct way to put it on, if it has it.
[00:17:23.600]And they might have directions
[00:17:25.180]for their preferred method of doing a seal check.
[00:17:29.230]So Frank's gonna demonstrate, using one hand,
[00:17:31.900]he'll put the respirator on his face
[00:17:33.680]with the nose piece at his fingertips.
[00:17:35.830]And let the straps hang freely.
[00:17:38.691]Then the nose piece, it should cover the bridge of his nose
[00:17:41.420]and the respirator is, yep, it's cupping his chin.
[00:17:44.500]Now pull the top strap over his head,
[00:17:47.270]and he's gonna rest that top strap high in the crown, good.
[00:17:51.010]All right, then pull the bottom strap over his head
[00:17:53.730]and position it around his neck and below his ears.
[00:17:58.070]And he's made sure he does not have the straps crisscrossed.
[00:18:04.080]Now make sure that your nose and mouth are covered
[00:18:07.020]by the respirator, and there shouldn't be any hair
[00:18:09.330]between your face and the edges of the respirator.
[00:18:12.930]Now this particular one and others do have
[00:18:15.080]a metal piece along the nose of the bridge,
[00:18:17.691]yeah, your nose bridge or bridge of the nose.
[00:18:20.860]So with both hands, Frank's going to press his fingertips
[00:18:24.460]on the metal band and he's gonna press down
[00:18:27.510]while moving his fingers outward.
[00:18:30.130]And this helps mold that mask for a tighter fit.
[00:18:34.270]Okay, so now, you think you've got a pretty good seal?
[00:18:37.380]All right, what he's gonna do is he's gonna put
[00:18:39.900]both hands over the respirator completely
[00:18:43.400]and he's going to do a positive pressure seal check
[00:18:46.600]by gently exhaling and he'll see
[00:18:49.340]if the face piece bulges slightly.
[00:18:51.560]And it should, because we want
[00:18:53.380]the air to be trapped in there, okay?
[00:18:57.170]All right, now he'll do a negative pressure seal check.
[00:19:00.160]He's gonna take a quick deep breath
[00:19:02.380]to see if the face piece collapses slightly.
[00:19:05.720]And he should feel the mask tighten against his face.
[00:19:08.240]You do, all right great.
[00:19:09.600]And so, during either test, if air leaks between your face
[00:19:13.430]or the edge of the respirator, if you can see it
[00:19:16.010]or feel it, you don't have a good seal.
[00:19:18.730]Try adjusting everything.
[00:19:20.940]All right, thanks a lot Frank.
[00:19:25.010]Okay, so that is doing a seal check
[00:19:28.880]and we've done that with both the half-mask
[00:19:31.950]and the filtering face piece, or the dust masks.
[00:19:35.368]And remember, beards and mustaches will compromise the seal.
[00:19:39.970]You keep hair away from the seal.
[00:19:44.830]So, and again, those are only for the tight-fitting
[00:19:47.700]respirators, not for the loose-fitting respirators.
[00:19:50.670]So that might be a solution if you don't wanna
[00:19:53.270]get rid of your beard or if you can't get a good
[00:19:56.580]tight fit, that the loose-fitting respirators
[00:20:00.330]might be a way to go.

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Respirators

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