Saturday, August 2, 2014

Information To Know About N95 Respirators

By Annabelle Holman


Inhalation of dangerous or harmful substance like vapors, gasses, dust, and fumes can be avoided by wearing a device called a respirator. The current market overflows with a wide variety of respirators including the N95 respirators. N95 is a general purpose variety. It is applicable in industries, offices, homes, hospitals, and in outdoor environments. Heavy applications like military and high-risk operations require other brands that have cartridges making them can be recyclable and reusable.

N95 respirator is a disposable type of air filtering device with the ability to filter particles as small as 0.1 microns in diameter. The filter efficiency is also considerably high at about 95 percent. There are instructions concerning wearing the device that the user must follow to ensure maximum protection. For instance, the user must check to ensure that the piece fits well on the face before getting in the area of work.

Manuals that accompany the products usually specify all necessary seal checks and dressing procedures. Different manufacturers make the products in different ways hence a user should not think that the seal checks and donning procedures remain the same in all brands. Reading the manual is important. Contamination and exposures are common among individuals who ignore the manuals. Damages or soiling can make an article hard to breathe through. Such articles should be replaced immediately.

There are many different settings in which these devices can be employed. Animal handlers, researchers, and health practitioners are some of the users. All work places with contaminants capable of being blocked using the devices are the major places of application. Employers may also demand wearing of this safety gear by their employees. In such as case, the workers have to go for the fit test and training program held annually in the United States.

An individual does not have to attend the training physically. There are sites that offer online training to the public. An inspector can be called to conduct a fit test after completing the online training. This type of respirator is meant for one-time usage hence must be disposed properly after removing. Certain jurisdictions consider it an offence to re-use the item.

These devices have certain limitations associated with them that users should be aware of. The use of an N95 respirator for instance does not provide protection against certain substances such as chemicals. Efficiency can also be reduced with the facial hair between the face and the sealing surface on the device. Hazards such as asbestos, silica, and lead cannot be protected against using a respirator of this kind.

The device cannot be employed at certain concentration levels beyond the recommended limit. For example, concentration levels that are over ten times the recommended levels make the device useless. Employees can voluntarily wear the device even if levels of exposures are way below recommended lower limits for using the equipment.

Touching the outside of the appliance after being in a contaminated area is discouraged. This is because the surface of the device is considered to be contaminated. Hands should also be washed well afterwards.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment