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.
