There has been a lot of focus on respiratory PPE over the last few months, and not without reason.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) workplace health data shows that estimated annual new cases of lung problems have increased over 50% from 14,000 to 22,000 during the last 10 years.  Certainly some of this will be as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic but it was rising before 2020.

Cases of lung diseases like silicosis and COPD caused by respirable crystalline silica dust have been notable and the HSE has recently published new COSHH guidance for cutting and polishing engineered stone.  This guidance specifies the use of on-tool water suppression and the use of powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) with an assigned protection factor greater than 20.  A targeted inspection and enforcement programme is now underway with HSE prohibition and improvement notices already being issued.  Action in this area is very welcome and hopefully it will stop more lives being devastated by these diseases.  

The HSE’s resources, however, are stretched and since launching their new strategy in 2022, Protecting People and Places, the number of workplace safety inspections has reduced and the annual number of enforcement notices issued has fallen from 8,000 to less than 5,000. Targeted programmes such as the one on stone workers therefore make sense, but it is inevitable that other areas will receive less attention.  

The industry needs to fill this gap and this is where the BSIF and its many Special Interest Groups play a unique role.

The BSIF’s Special Interest Groups bring together technical experts, manufacturers, distributors and practitioners from specific sectors of the safety industry. They help ensure that practical experience from industry informs consultation responses, regulatory and standards discussions, and the development of guidance documents and educational campaigns.

A recent example of this process in action is the BSIF’s newly relaunched major campaign on respiratory protection, Clean Air? Take Care!.

The campaign originated within the BSIF’s Respiratory Protection Group, a Special Interest Group bringing together some of the UK’s leading experts in respiratory protective equipment and respiratory health protection. Through their work, members identified a persistent gap between awareness of respiratory risks and understanding of how to manage them effectively.

Too often respiratory protection is viewed as simply providing a worker with a mask. In reality, effective respiratory protection depends upon a much wider system. The correct hazard must first be identified. Exposure should be prevented or controlled wherever possible. Appropriate respiratory protective equipment must then be selected, fitted correctly to the wearer, maintained properly and supported through training and supervision.  Failure at any stage can undermine the protection being provided.

The Respiratory Protection Group recognised that while these principles are well understood by specialists, they are not always well understood by those expected to implement them in workplaces. They pooled their knowledge and experience and working tirelessly for two years with BSIF support created Clean Air? Take Care!, a practical campaign designed to make these important messages more accessible and easier to apply.

The campaign addresses critical topics including the recognition of breathing hazards, exposure prevention, respiratory protective equipment selection, face fit testing, maintenance, training and the establishment of effective respiratory protection programmes. Importantly, it provides guidance not only for employers but also for the wearers of respiratory protective equipment themselves.  It aims to impart knowledge, raise competence, and drive behavioural change within workplaces. 

I encourage duty holders to make good use of the Clean Air? Take Care! resources knowing that they have been created by an industry collaboration of experts passionate about keeping people safe.

In other news, PPE was in focus in the recently published UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 5 report examining the procurement and distribution of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report concluded that the UK entered the pandemic significantly underprepared, with wholly inadequate PPE stockpiles. Emergency procurement plans were found to be overly reliant on just-in-time replenishment contracts that failed just as global PPE supply chains with an over reliance on China collapsed. Subsequent oversupply of non-compliant PPE led to wastage of £10 billion.  The Inquiry highlighted major failures in planning, governance, stock management and procurement processes, and made 11 comprehensive recommendations.

Encouragingly PPE is described as a “strategic national asset” in the report.  As the Department for Health and Social Care works on the UK’s pandemic preparedness plans, they will recognise the importance of collaboration across the PPE industry. No single manufacturer, distributor, test house, certification body or end user can safeguard the nation’s preparedness alone. The “asset” is the whole industry and the talented people within it.  By working together, sharing expertise and promoting high standards, the industry can help ensure that good quality, compliant PPE remains available when it is needed most and workers know how to use and maintain it to keep them safe.

John Hooker is CEO of BSIF. For more information, visit www.bsif.co.uk