Respirators

Many precautions are used in the workplace to keep people safe. Respirators are worn to prevent works from inhaling unwanted substance into the lungs. These substances range from dust, smoke and other particles. Many different types of respirators exist. Each respirator offers different protection. In the work place the respirator will be assigned a protection factor to see how much protection is needed. The more dust or particles in the air the more protection the worker will need. OSHA has a chart published about which type of protection is needed. Respirators also have a maximum use concentrations. These are calculated mathematically. The maximum concentration is the highest amount of a substances that can still be safe to deal with while using a respirator. Respirators have limits on how much they can protect at any given time. Different particles can penetrate through protective material, this means they can go through something.   Beta, alpha and gamma rays play a big part in this. Permeation is when a liquid, gas or vapor can go through a solid. When something is degraded, it breaks down. The condition of something is being decreased. The different types of respirators all have something different about them. If the substance is more powerful or toxic it will need a respirator with more protection. Some air purifying respirator uses the air around you but filters it before you breathe it in. Other respirators use oxygen from a tank.  These filters need to be changed regularly to ensure that they are still working. It fits over your mouth and nose with a strap to keep it in place. Other masks cover the whole face.  Particulate respirators capture things in the air like dust and mists. A filter should be replaced when it is hard to breathe out of the mask.  Another respirator is a combination respirator. These protect against both particles and gases. It provides a better protection than just the particle respirator. These contain both particle filters and gas filters that may make it heavier and more uncomfortable to wear. The last type is a gas and vapor respirator. They are used when only gases or vapors are in the air. They use canisters to remove dangerous gases. These should not be worn when particles are in the air also. A respirator must fit correctly on a person for it to protect someone. A qualitative and quantitative test is given. A qualitative test is given to someone who uses their taste or smell to see if anything leaks and if it fits properly. If the person can smell a substance it is not safe to use. A quantitative test is given for half mask respirators. They use a machine to see if any leakage is occurring. A probe will be attached to the face  piece with a hose that goes back to the machine. An assessment is given to a workplace to see if any hazards exist and what is needed to protect workers against the hazard. If a work site had a lot of dust tools would be used to measure how much dust someone is exposed to within the day. These numbers would be recorded. The numbers will let the inspector know if that workplace is safe or not. 

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Noise

Everyday people get damage to their hearing. Many people have no idea they have damage because it will not show up until you get older. It is a good idea to wear ear protection, once the noise reaches a certain level. Ear plugs and ear muffs are made to reduce noise. They do not completely get rid of noise, but it will hopefully bring the noise down to safe levels. Noise is measured using decibels. Ear plugs are inserted into the ear canal. Workers sometimes have a hard time inserting earplugs. If they are not inserted correctly they will not be effective. Ear plugs are light and easy to transport/carry. Ear plugs will also fit easily under a helmet or safety glasses. Since they fit right into the ear canal they tend to be a better choice over ear muffs. Ear plugs also have some disadvantages. Workers who choose earplugs will have to have good hygiene practices. Dirty ear plugs could lead to ear infections. Since earplugs are so small they can be easily displaced.  OSHA calculates how effective ear plugs or ear muffs are. When you buy, ear plugs or ear muffs it will have an amount that it should reduce noise by. These are usually not correct. To get a correct amount of noise it will take off you subtract the number by 7 and then divide by 2.

            A standard threshold shift is a large amount of change in someone’s hearing. As we age our threshold seems to get worse. Exposure of loud noises throughout the years damage our hearing. Aging also changes our threshold. An employer is required to give a starting worker a hearing test. Higher frequencies are the first to go for many people that experience hearing loss. The 5 decibel exchange rate is a chart issued by OSHA. This chart is in increments of 5. It has what exposure is safe for workers thought the day. The longer hours they work the less noise they can get exposed to. 90 decibels is a safe amount to be exposed to for 8 hours. If you are only exposed for a few hours the decibels will go up, for example you can listen to 105 decibels for half an hour without any hearing damage. I listen to music whenever I drive my car. This is a loud noise environment. My phone app measured the noise at 93. On long drives I might even turn up my music louder to help me stay awake. I will also sometimes be driving for a few hours at a time. This could really affect my hearing when I get older. If I continue this every time I get into my car it will be very concerning later in my life and lead to hearing damage/loss. In my dorm room I got a reading of 70. Noise levels will peak on weekends, but during the week it stays quiet. This number is very safe and should not lead to hearing damage. Many people are not concerned about their hearing because nothing will show up until later in life. Many people do not even realize they are destroying their hearing.