Respiratory protective equipment protects the wearer from inhalation of hazardous substances and particles in the workplace air. These are usually toxic substances but also include some irritants and fumes. Respiratory protection should be the last resort and used only after implementing other control measures, such as elimination of the hazard at source or engineering controls.

The different types of respiratory protective equipment to work in two ways: 1) by removing contaminants from the air (filters, gas masks); or 2) supplying clean respirable air to the wearer from another source. Examples of the latter include supplied-air or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

RPE Maintenance and Care: Ensuring Long-Lasting Protection

In order to function properly a tight fit of the facepiece is required. The different facial anthropometric dimensions of men and women, and racial/ethnic groups, can affect this. The standard ISO/TS 16976-2:2009 provides methods and anthropometric data for head, face and neck dimensions that manufacturers can take into account when designing their RPE. Additionally, the standard EN 405:2004+A1:2009 specifies that tight-fitting RPE shall have user seal checks – either by the employer (using procedures specified in appendix B-1 or a procedure that has been approved by the manufacturer), or by employees themselves during use of the respirator.

In addition to the above, departments are responsible for establishing and maintaining their own respiratory protection programmes. This includes exposure evaluations, identifying the appropriate type of respirator, fitting the employee with the correct type and ensuring the appropriate medical and occupational health requirements are met. These programmes should be documented and a record kept including the name of the employee, the type of respirator selected, and the date of the medical evaluation and fit test.