Is your RPE effective?

Health and safety statistics indicate that over 10,000 people per annum die from prior exposure to occupational respiratory hazards. The tragedy of this is that the vast majority could have been spared this frightening statistic if only the correct preventative measures had been put in place.

One of the problems with respiratory disease is the long latency of the problem. It can often take months or years for the effects to be felt, which means the employee does not realise the harm being incurred until it is too late. 

Where the use of Respirators is deemed the correct solution to the problem, there are a number of key stages which must be involved. Selecting the correct type and level of protective device is critical. There is a wide variety of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) to select from, including differing filter mediums, different designs and different ways of moving the air through the filter medium and into your lungs. Some items offer powered air feed (positive pressure), whilst other’s rely on your lung capacity to draw the air in (negative pressure). The latter is the most common type, including Filtering Face Pieces (FFP’s), which are the disposable type masks, half masks with filtering canisters and full masks. Where the hazard is particularly serious or there is an oxygen deficiency then Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) may be the choice.  

Once the equipment is selected, correct usage is critical. If the mask does not fit the wearer, or is incorrectly donned or poorly maintained then the protection is severely reduced or negated in total. For example if the wearer has any facial hair (stubble, side burns etc) on the location that the mask fits to the face, the seal will be significantly compromised. The result could be a serious exposure of the individual to the hazard. No if’s, no buts, you will be breathing in the hazardous substances if your facial hair interrupts the face seal in any way.

This is one of the reasons that the HSE insist all negative pressure RPE (that’s respirators which seal to the face) are face fit tested by a competent individual. No matter how well designed any piece of RPE requiring a faceseal is, it will not fit everyone. The difference in facial dimensions is too vast and the sizing variations and differing movements will mean that ‘one size fits all’ just does not exist. Add in the difficulties of wearing additional protective equipment that may interfere with the fit (for example goggles that need to sit on the same position as the mask) and the need to check the correct fit becomes obvious.

Consider the requirements for the Asbestos stripping industry. Not only is the specification for the respirators high, it is a requirement that these are fit tested to each individual using a specialist particle counting machine to ensure the quality of fit. Why? Well we are all aware of the very real dangers of breathing in asbestos particles and protecting those individuals cannot be left to chance. Yet all respiratory hazards can lead to very serious disease, so it is essential to ensure everyone’s mask fits correctly and will offer protection.

The Fit2Fit scheme was established 3 years ago to certify the competence of RPE fit testers. Since that time over 200 people have been accredited, but worryingly a similar number were unable to demonstrate their competence and failed to gain accreditation. The failure was frequently based upon inadequate capability or knowledge that would ensure everyone who they fit tested would be fully protected. The Fit2Fit scheme’s primary concern is that the methodology used by testers is sufficiently robust to ensure adequate protection.  The obvious conclusion is that there are a large number of RPE fit testers in operation who are potentially giving respiratory equipment users a false sense that they are being protected, when in fact they are at risk.

RPE is not cheap, but if used correctly it will save lives. However, no matter how much you spend, if it is donned incorrectly or just does not fit, you are throwing your money away and risking the lives of your workers. 

The HSE are now looking at correct RPE fit testing and will want to ensure your tester is competent. Fit2Fit accreditation is a simple and effective way of proving that competence and ensuring everyone is protected. Without it you may just be adding to the 10,000+ statistics. 

For more information on the BSIF’s Fit2Fit scheme, visit  www.bsif.co.uk/fit2fit