Respiratory Protection

Program
Doug Burke CIH ROH
Hygiene Consultant
Ontario Ministry of Labour
December 3, 2009

Ministry of
 CSA Standard Z94.4

“Selection, Use, and Care of

Respirators”
Respiratory Protection Program
(RPP)

• Roles and Responsibilities

• Hazard Assessment
• Selection of the Appropriate Type of
Respirator
• Fit Testing
• Training
 Respiratory Protection Program
(RPP)
• Use of Respirators
• Maintenance
• Health Surveillance
• Program Evaluation
• Records
 Roles and Responsibilities

• Program Administrator
- responsible for all aspects of program including
role assignments, risk assessments, list of
respirators used, training, program maintenance,
annual reviews, and development of emergency
procedures.
 Roles and Responsibilities

• User

- following the requirements of the RPP including

checking respirators before use, seal checking,
and reporting issues
 Roles and Responsibilities

• Supervisor

- ensures that the provided elements of the RPP are in

place (e.g. health screening, fit testing, training)
- notifies the program administrator of issues/concerns
 Roles and Responsibilities

• Fit tester (e.g. qualifications, record keeping)

• Maintenance Personnel (e.g. maintaining, repairing respirators,
record keeping)
• Health Care Professional (e.g. assesses suitability of the user to the
selected respirator and provides findings to program administrator)
 Hazard Assessment

Definition:

A hazard is a condition or practice with a

potential for injury to people or damage to
equipment, materials or the environment
 Hazard Assessment

• Airborne Contaminants

• Oxygen Deficiency (or enrichment)

 Hazard Assessment
Examples of Airborne Contaminants

• Carbon monoxide: vehicular traffic, forklifts

• Lead: gun ranges, battery plants, radiator
shops, abrasive blasting
• Solvents: spray painting, furniture stripping,
coating manufacturing, floor finishing,
adhesives, sealants
 Hazard Assessment

• Metal fumes: foundries, welding

• Silica: abrasive blasting, concrete cutting,

foundries, ceramics
 Hazard Assessment

• Isocyanates: foam insulation, polyurethane

coatings (e.g. paints)
• Mould, asbestos, mercury, etc
• Wood dust: woodworking shops, furniture
industries
 Contaminants

Fumes –
Tiny particles formed from the
condensation and oxidation
of vapourized metal
Gases & Vapours Mist –
- Neither solid or liquid
Fine liquid droplets
- Expand to fill shape of container
suspended in air

Smoke––
Smoke
Aerosols,gases
Aerosols, gasesand
and
Solids vapoursresulting
vapours resultingfrom
from Liquids
incompletecombustion
incomplete combustion

Dust –
Fine solid particles
suspended in air
 Normal Air

Atmosphere
– 79% N2
– 21% O2
– 0.93% Argon
– 0.04% CO2
 Hazard Assessment

• Expired air
– ~ 16% O2
– ~ 4% CO2
– exchange of oxygen between blood and external
atmosphere by enriching the blood with oxygen during
inhalation and removing CO2 from blood during exhalation.
 Hazard Assessment
Considerations:

• Contaminants
• Concentration
• Exposure Limit
• Odour (warning properties), Irritation
• Absorption through skin, eyes
 Hazard Assessment

Determination of Airborne Concentration?

• Air sampling
• Mathematical modeling, estimation
• Experience
• If unknown – assume the worst
 Hazard Assessment

IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health)

• An atmosphere that poses an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible health
effect(s), or would impair escape
 Hazard Assessment
IDLH Assumptions:
Structural firefighting
•
Untested confined space
•
Known hazardous contaminant(s) at unknown concentration(s)
•
Oxygen level
•
Qualified person assessment
•
 Types of Respirators

• Air Purifying (removes contaminants from

breathing air)

• Supplied Air (provides clean air from an

independent source
 Types of Respirators

Air Purifying
•
Negative Pressure
–
Particulate filtering
•
Chemical cartridge
•
Canister
•
Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR)
–
 Face-Piece Types

• Quarter-mask

• Half-mask

• Full-face (includes hoods and helmets)

 Air Purifying
1/4 Face-Piece Particulate
 Air Purifying
½ Face-Piece Particulate
 Air Purifying
½ Face-Piece Particulate
Air Purifying – Full Face Piece
Air Purifying – Gas Mask
Air Purifying – Gas Mask
 Particulate Filter Respirators

• Filters/cartridges approved by NIOSH:

– 3 filter classifications:
N = Not resistant to oil
R = Resistant to oil
P = Oil Proof
– 3 efficiencies: 95%, 99%, 99.97% (100)
– approval numbers: TC-84A-XXX
• No gas/vapour protection
 Filter Use Limitations
Filter Series Service Life
N-Series Non-specific
(N100, N99, N95)
R-Series One shift (8 hr)
(R100, R99, R95)
P-Series Non-specific
(P100, P99, P95)
 Chemical Cartridges
• Cartridge contains sorbent
• NIOSH approval numbers TC-23C-XXX
• Cartridges approved by NIOSH:
– Ammonia
– Methylamine
– Chlorine
– Hydrogen Chloride
– Acid Gases
– Organic Vapours e.g. paints, lacquers, enamels
– Pesticides
– Others, e.g. Mercury, Carbon Monoxide
 Chemical Cartridge Limitations
• Limitations
– Cartridges are specific!
– Limited sorbent capacity – not for IDLH situations
– Water vapour
– Must have adequate warning properties (substance’s
odour, taste or irritation effects are detectable and
persistent at concentrations at or below the
occupational exposure limit)
Cartridges
 Personal Limitations
• Facial hair
• Eye glasses
• Medical*
– Respiratory or cardiovascular disease
– Emotional/psychological conditions
– Skin conditions/facial deformities

*medical screening part of program

Air Purifying – PAPR
 PAPRs - Limitations

• No oxygen supplied
• Reduced sorbent/filter life due to continuous air
flow
• Dust loading on filter reduces air flow
• High work rates – negative pressure in helmet
 PAPRs – Limitations (cont’d)

• Low battery charge reduces air flow

• Loose fitting: exposure occurs with battery
failure
• NICAD battery can acquire memory
 Supplied Air Respirators (SAR)
• Continuous or Pressure Demand

• Source
– Bottle
– Compressor
– Air Pump
– CSA Z180.1
Supplied Air – SAR
Supplied Air – SCBA
Supplied Air – SCBA
Supplied Air – SCBA
 APF
Assigned Protection Factors
DEFINITION:
The minimum anticipated protection provided by a
properly functioning respirator or class of
respirators to a given percentage of properly
fitted and trained users.

TWAEV (exposure limit) x APF = maximum

concentration of contaminant against which a
particular respirator may be used
 NIOSH Face Piece APF

Respirator Type APF

filtering face piece (fit tested) 10
Half-mask 10
Full Face piece 10
Full Face piece (with N-100, R-100, P-100 filters) 50
PAPR (with hood or helmet and HEPA filter) 25
PAPR (with tight-fitting face piece and HEPA filter) 50
SAR (continuous flow with hood or helmet) 25
SAR (continuous flow with tight-fitting face piece) 50
SAR (pressure-demand with half-mask face piece) 1,000
SAR (pressure-demand with full face piece) 2,000
SAR (pressure-demand with full face piece + aux. SCBA) 10,000
 Respirator Use

• Fit “checked” (seal checks)

– Positive and negative field tests
• Fit tested
– Qualitative
– Quantitative
 Respirator Use

• Fit Check:
 Qualitative Fit Test (QLTF)
A fit test where the person wearing a respirator is
exposed to an odorous vapour, or another
suitable test agent. The respirator wearer uses
his or her senses to detect any leakage of the
test agent into the face piece.
• “Bitrex”
• Isoamyl acetate (“banana oil”)
• Saccharin solution
• Irritant smoke
Qualitative Fit Test (QLTF)
 Quantitative Fit Test (QNTF)
A fitting test using instrumentation that quantifies
the actual protection factor provided to the
person by the respirator.
 Training

• Competencies addressed under Section 8 of

Z94.4 with respect to roles of persons under the
RPP
 Training
• Other Items:
- fit testing
- general knowledge (of the program)
- care and practical use (e.g. seal checks,
cleaning, storage)
- limitations
- repair and maintenance
- training records
- refresher training (at least every 2 yrs/reviews)
 Health Surveillance

• User screening
• Primary assessment/medical assessment
• Section 11 of Z94.4 and Appendix E
 Program Evaluation

• Annual review of program by the program

administrator and implementation of any
necessary changes
• Section 12 of Z94.4
 Record Keeping

• Records pertaining to all elements of the

program (e.g. role/responsibility assignments)
• Hazard assessments
• Respirator selection/fit testing
• Training
• Maintenance/storage
• Health surveillance
• Program evaluations
Questions?
Thank You !

Ministry of