RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
The Importance of Clean Air
We hardly ever think about having to breathe. It’s so important to life that the process happens automatically. But because it happens subconsciously it’s easy to underestimate just how important respiratory protection is. The typical adult takes around 20,000 breaths in a day, which means about 11 cubic metres of air pass through your lungs each day. Imagine the effect on the body if that air is even slightly dirty. When you breathe in, air passes into the trachea (windpipe). The trachea divides into bronchial tubes that supply the lungs and these further divide into narrower and narrower branches. The smallest airways end in tiny spongy air sacs called alveoli, of which your lungs have over 300 million.
The alveoli are closely surrounded by tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Here the lung carries out its work of exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygenating the blood. The total surface area of the alveoli is amazingly large. Estimates vary from 50 to 75 square metres, or roughly the same area as one side of a tennis court. Dirty air can trigger asthma and respiratory illness. It creates a risk factor for developing lung diseases and provokes development or progression of chronic illnesses including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema.
When dirty air is breathed in, air pollutants (dust, soot, smoke, chemical toxins) are drawn deep into the lungs. If the pollutant is a dust or mist the particle can lodge in the lungs, in some cases, as with forms of asbestos, permanently. If the pollutant is a toxic gas or vapour it can be transferred through the lung into the bloodstream, where can damage the brain or internal organs. Not all airborne hazards are the same! That’s why there is a full range of Esko respirators and masks.
Identify the Hazard
The alveoli are closely surrounded by tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Here the lung carries out its work of exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygenating the blood. The total surface area of the alveoli is amazingly large. Estimates vary from 50 to 75 square metres, or roughly the same area as one side of a tennis court. Dirty air can trigger asthma and respiratory illness. It creates a risk factor for developing lung diseases and provokes development or progression of chronic illnesses including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema.
When dirty air is breathed in, air pollutants (dust, soot, smoke, chemical toxins) are drawn deep into the lungs. If the pollutant is a dust or mist the particle can lodge in the lungs, in some cases, as with forms of asbestos, permanently. If the pollutant is a toxic gas or vapour it can be transferred through the lung into the bloodstream, where can damage the brain or internal organs. Not all airborne hazards are the same! That’s why there is a full range of Esko respirators and masks.
Identify the Hazard
Respiratory hazards are abundant on many job sites—smoke, gases, paint and chemical sprays, welding fumes, dust from grinding and sawing. There are six types of airborne hazards: Esko offers a range of masks, both disposable and reusable, to protect against these different hazards—particulate filters to filter dust, mist and fumes, and absorbent cartridges to protect against gas or vapour hazards. Absorbent gas/vapour cartridges can also be combined with particulate prefilters. The higher the level of risk, the higher the protection should be.
Meeting The Standards, Staying Safe
Meeting The Standards, Staying Safe
To protect themselves as well as their workers, employers should make sure they have a written respiratory protection program that includes an annual fit test. Keeping this document up to date will ensure the workplace stays safe and in line with regulations. Worksafe NZ describes the obligation to assess workplace risks and provide respiratory protection (for their comprehensive guide go to ‘Advice for Businesses, Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)’
“As a PCBU [person conducting a business or undertaking] you must ensure the health and safety of workers, and that others are not put at risk from your work. You must eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and where this is not possible you must minimise them. You also have a duty to monitor the health of workers and workplace conditions to ensure workers aren’t injured or made ill by their work so far as is reasonably practicable…
Airborne substances hazardous to health can be in dust, mist, vapour or gas form (eg wood dust, welding fumes, solvent vapours). You may or may not be able to see these in the air ... you must ensure that no one at the workplace is exposed to a substance hazardous to health at concentrations above its prescribed exposure standard. If you are not sure whether workers or others are being exposed to a substance hazardous to health at levels above its prescribed exposure standard, you must arrange for exposure monitoring to be undertaken to determine what levels people are being exposed to.”
The AS/NZS standard 1715:2009 (Selection, Use and Maintenance of Respiratory Protective Devices) provides comprehensive guidance to employers on providing respiratory protection in the workplace.
What Standards Does Esko Respiratory Protection Meet?
All our respiratory protectors are tested and certified to meet AS/NZS1716:2012: Respiratory Protective Devices.
This Standard sets out the specific requirements for respiratory protection to protect the user against respiratory hazards in the workplace. Look for the symbols to the left, which indicate the product has been passed by an approved testing agency.
“As a PCBU [person conducting a business or undertaking] you must ensure the health and safety of workers, and that others are not put at risk from your work. You must eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and where this is not possible you must minimise them. You also have a duty to monitor the health of workers and workplace conditions to ensure workers aren’t injured or made ill by their work so far as is reasonably practicable…
Airborne substances hazardous to health can be in dust, mist, vapour or gas form (eg wood dust, welding fumes, solvent vapours). You may or may not be able to see these in the air ... you must ensure that no one at the workplace is exposed to a substance hazardous to health at concentrations above its prescribed exposure standard. If you are not sure whether workers or others are being exposed to a substance hazardous to health at levels above its prescribed exposure standard, you must arrange for exposure monitoring to be undertaken to determine what levels people are being exposed to.”
The AS/NZS standard 1715:2009 (Selection, Use and Maintenance of Respiratory Protective Devices) provides comprehensive guidance to employers on providing respiratory protection in the workplace.
What Standards Does Esko Respiratory Protection Meet?
All our respiratory protectors are tested and certified to meet AS/NZS1716:2012: Respiratory Protective Devices.
This Standard sets out the specific requirements for respiratory protection to protect the user against respiratory hazards in the workplace. Look for the symbols to the left, which indicate the product has been passed by an approved testing agency.
Particulate Hazards—Choosing the Correct Filter
The AS/NZS1716 classification system rates respirator filters for particulate hazards (dusts, fibres, mists, fumes, micro-organisms) into three classes, P1, P2 and P3. Details in the table below:
A GUIDE TO THE AS/NZS1716 CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR PARTICULATE FILTERS
P1: Suitable for relatively large particles or fibres (>1 micron) generated by mechanical processes, eg. grinding, sanding, drilling, sawing, mining. Filters out at least 80% of airborne particles.
General, not highly hazardous dust from timber, MDF, masonry, plasterboard, concrete, plaster, brick, stone and painted surfaces; roof and tile dust, metallic dust, fibreglass and rockwool, pollen, hay, feathers, animal feed dust, spores.
P2: In addition to the above, particles generated by mechanical and thermal processes. This class of filters has a higher capture efficiency to deal with smaller, thermally generated particles like sub-micron sized welding fumes. P2 filters can also capture biologically active airborne particles under specified conditions and are recommended for infection control applications (eg Covid, Legionnaires or other infectious diseases). Filters out at least 94% of airborne particles.
Fine dust, higher concentrations of dust, welding and metal fumes, low level non-restricted asbestos work, water and oil-based mists.
P3: In addition to the above, more toxic particles, eg organophosphate insecticides, radionuclides, asbestos (note that to be compliant with a P3 rating in NZ the filter is required to be used with a full facepiece). Filters out at least 99.95% of airborne particles. For use with toxic materials and/or when very high protection levels are needed.
Particulate filters should be replaced when the filter becomes dirty, torn or clogged (if the user cannot breathe easily through the filter).
What About Working with Asbestos or Silica?
Asbestos and Silica present a high level of respiratory danger. Both are irritant minerals that can lodge permanently in the fine alveoli of the lungs and cause long term harm. In New Zealand, if you are not a licensed asbestos removalist you are only legally allowed to carry out very limited work involving asbestos. A tradesman or homeowner may only remove up to 10m2 of non-friable asbestos or asbestos containing materials (ACM) over the course of a project. ‘Non-friable’ means asbestos that is not in a powder or cannot be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to a powder by hand pressure when dry. Examples are asbestos cement board (Fibrolite) in good condition or vinyl asbestos floor tiles.
For this work a P2 mask is the minimum protection level. Licensed workers must use specialised respiratory gear with supplied air. Silicosis is a deadly disease that causes fibrosis of the lungs from the inhalation of silica dust. Silica is present in particularly high concentrations in engineered stone. This industry is increasingly regulated and there is pressure to ban it altogether. However, silica is present at lower concentrations in many other common materials, including concrete, stone, road dust, fibre-cement board, bricks, tiles and porcelain.
For this work a P2 mask is the minimum protection level. Licensed workers must use specialised respiratory gear with supplied air. Silicosis is a deadly disease that causes fibrosis of the lungs from the inhalation of silica dust. Silica is present in particularly high concentrations in engineered stone. This industry is increasingly regulated and there is pressure to ban it altogether. However, silica is present at lower concentrations in many other common materials, including concrete, stone, road dust, fibre-cement board, bricks, tiles and porcelain.
Be aware of the dangers and take precautions—use a water spray to reduce dust, clean up with a HEPA filter vacuum, and use good respiratory protection that fits the face well and has at least P2 filtration.
Legionnaires’ disease is another workplace respiratory risk factor. It affects over 100 New Zealanders annually, many of whom encounter the bacteria through working with soil, compost or potting mix. Worksafe recommends using well-fitting masks for protection of at-risk workers, together with a suite of other protection measures.
More information is available in the links at the bottom of this page.
How Good Are Disposable Masks?
Legionnaires’ disease is another workplace respiratory risk factor. It affects over 100 New Zealanders annually, many of whom encounter the bacteria through working with soil, compost or potting mix. Worksafe recommends using well-fitting masks for protection of at-risk workers, together with a suite of other protection measures.
More information is available in the links at the bottom of this page.
How Good Are Disposable Masks?
Disposable masks provide convenient, comfortable protection against general respiratory hazards but they are not intended to be used in highly hazardous environments. Reusable masks will achieve a much more reliable seal to the face and should be used any time there is more than low risk. In their designed usage they can be expected to last for a maximum of an eight-hour shift; however, in hot, dusty, humid conditions, or where the wearer is removing or adjusting the mask frequently, the effective life of the mask will be much reduced. Replace the respirator with a new one if:
Gas/Vapour Hazards—Choosing the Correct Filter
- The respirator is removed in a contaminated area
- Excessive clogging of the respirator causes breathing difficulty
- The respirator becomes damaged
Gas/Vapour Hazards—Choosing the Correct Filter
Gas/vapour cartridges use activated carbon to absorb gas or vapour molecules. The activated carbon granules may have chemical treatment to adsorbs different types of gases or vapours. The cartridges have a letter classification (A,B,E,K etc) and colour coding to indicate the different types of hazard they are designed to adsorb.
Under AS/NZS1716 respirator cartridges also have a class rating (1 or 2) to indicate the capacity of the filter.
These are expressed together as a letter/number combination. For instance, an A2 cartridge is effective against medium concentrations of organic vapours. An ABEK1 cartridge is for low to medium combinations of gas/vapour hazards. Details in the table below:
Under AS/NZS1716 respirator cartridges also have a class rating (1 or 2) to indicate the capacity of the filter.
These are expressed together as a letter/number combination. For instance, an A2 cartridge is effective against medium concentrations of organic vapours. An ABEK1 cartridge is for low to medium combinations of gas/vapour hazards. Details in the table below:
A GUIDE TO THE AS/NZS1716 CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR GAS AND VAPOUR CARTRIDGE FILTERS
Classification: A
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Brown
Effective Against: Organic vapours, boiling point >65°C (eg. hydrocarbon or alcohol vapours from paint, solvents, fuel, adhesives)
Classification: A
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Brown
Effective Against: Organic vapours, boiling point >65°C (eg. hydrocarbon or alcohol vapours from paint, solvents, fuel, adhesives)
Classification: B
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Grey
Effective Against: Inorganic gases (eg. carbon monoxide, chlorine)
Classification: E
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Yellow
Effective Against: Acid gases and vapours (eg. sulphuric acid, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulphide)
Classification: K
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Green
Effective Against: Ammonia, methylamine
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Green
Effective Against: Ammonia, methylamine
Classification: ABEK
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Brown/Grey/Yellow/Green
Effective Against: Combination gases (any combination of the above)
Classification: Hg
AS/NZS Colour Coding: Red
Effective Against: Mercury
Absorption Rating
Class 1
Capacity: Low to medium absorption capacity. Maximum gas/vapour concentration 1,000 ppm.
Capacity: Low to medium absorption capacity. Maximum gas/vapour concentration 1,000 ppm.
Class 2
Capacity: Medium absorption capacity. Max gas/vapour concentration 5,000 ppm.
How Long Will a Cartridge Last?
Capacity: Medium absorption capacity. Max gas/vapour concentration 5,000 ppm.
How Long Will a Cartridge Last?
The expected service life of any gas and vapour cartridge is affected by factors including contaminant concentration, the breathing rate of the user, the humidity level, temperature, desorption and storage conditions. Kept in their original sealed wrappers cartridges will last two years from date of manufacture. Gas and vapour cartridges use activated carbon absorbent material to adsorb molecules of contaminant gases. When the adsorbent capacity of the cartridge is exceeded the user will usually notice gases or vapours coming through the cartridge. This is called the ‘breakthrough time’. A safety factor should be applied to ensure that the breakthrough time of cartridges is not exceeded—note that some hazardous gases do not have an odour and cannot be detected by smell. If the contaminant is hazardous at low concentrations the worker may already have been exposed to harmful levels by the time any odour is detected.
In use, cartridges should be replaced:
Introducing Workplace Exposure Standards (WES)
In use, cartridges should be replaced:
- In accordance with the company’s change schedule
- After the cartridge’s expiration date
- At least after six months from when the cartridge package is opened, according to the AS/NZS recommendation
- At any time if contaminant can be smelled or tasted inside the mask or if any irritation is detected
Introducing Workplace Exposure Standards (WES)
Under NZ law workers must not be exposed to concentrations of hazardous substances that exceed the prescribed workplace exposure standard (WES). The allowable limits for airborne contaminants are set out by Worksafe in Workplace Exposure Standards and Biological Exposure Indices. These give very comprehensive advice on acceptable limits for a large range of organic, inorganic and biological hazards. Limits are given for an 8-hour working day (TWA – Time Weighted Average) and a 15-minute period (STEL – Short Term Exposure Limit).
These are designed for use by health and safety professionals and are somewhat technical to understand. This Australian guide is relevant to NZ and helpful as a guide to interpreting the requirements.
Fit Testing
These are designed for use by health and safety professionals and are somewhat technical to understand. This Australian guide is relevant to NZ and helpful as a guide to interpreting the requirements.
Fit Testing
Respirators must seal properly to the wearer’s face to provide the expected level of protection. This includes selecting the correct size of respirator for the wearer’s face, adjusting the straps and positioning correctly. A typical NZ worksite might have the following range of respirator sizes, when correctly selected and fitted: 20% small, 48% medium and 32% large.
User Test
Users can carry out simple checks to determine if the respirator is properly fitted:
Positive Pressure User Check
Cover the exhalation valve with your hand and exhale gently. The facepiece should bulge slightly with no noticeable air leaks around your face. If air leakage is detected, reposition the mask on your face and/or readjust the tension of the elastic straps to eliminate leakage, then recheck the seal.
Cover the exhalation valve with your hand and exhale gently. The facepiece should bulge slightly with no noticeable air leaks around your face. If air leakage is detected, reposition the mask on your face and/or readjust the tension of the elastic straps to eliminate leakage, then recheck the seal.
Negative Pressure User Check
Place the palms of your hands to cover the outer face of the cartridge and inhale gently. You should feel the facepiece collapse slightly and pull closer to your face, with no leaks between the face and facepiece. If air leakage is detected, reposition the mask on your face and/or readjust the tension of the elastic straps to eliminate leakage, then recheck seal.
If you cannot achieve a proper seal, DO NOT enter a contaminated area.
Professional Fit Testing
Worksafe recommends businesses ‘engage a competent person to conduct a qualitative or quantitative fit test’.
Qualitative fit testing uses a relatively simple smell/taste test to assess whether the wearer can detect a standardised sweet or bitter compound. Quantitative testing involves specialised measuring equipment. Fit testing providers can be found through the HASANZ register or the Commit2Fit register. Achieving a good seal is difficult if the user has facial hair so testing is particularly important for these users, to ensure the right RPE is issued and expected standards are met.
The AS/NZS 1715 Standard states that users should be fit tested before using a respirator, then if there is any subsequent change that may affect the facial seal, and annually thereafter.
Setting up a Respiratory Protection Program
Qualitative fit testing uses a relatively simple smell/taste test to assess whether the wearer can detect a standardised sweet or bitter compound. Quantitative testing involves specialised measuring equipment. Fit testing providers can be found through the HASANZ register or the Commit2Fit register. Achieving a good seal is difficult if the user has facial hair so testing is particularly important for these users, to ensure the right RPE is issued and expected standards are met.
The AS/NZS 1715 Standard states that users should be fit tested before using a respirator, then if there is any subsequent change that may affect the facial seal, and annually thereafter.
Setting up a Respiratory Protection Program
If workers are required to wear Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE), then to comply with Worksafe requirements and AS/NZS 1715:2009 you should have a programme in place that covers:
- Appointing a programme administrator
- Selection of (RPE)
- Medical screening of users
- Training
- Issue of RPE
- Fitting of RPE
- Testing of RPE
- Wearing of RPE
- Maintenance of RPE
- Record keeping
- Programme evaluation
