- Do you work in an environment where the air is unfit to breathe?
- Does your workplace have a plan for and provide you with the assurance you'll be safe while at work?
- What can you do to ensure you're protected from lung damage or occupational disease?
4 comments:
Ah Fit testing. One of the banes of the theatrical world. I had to get most of my company fit tested this summer and the upset crew members I had were quite a few. Many men in the theatrical world take great pride in having beards and so having to make them all get clean shaven to do their fit testing took quite a bit of work. We provided everyone who would be working in environments that would require respirators and so I had to get roughly 65 people fit tested. We had the local health care network come in and do both disposable face mask testing with Saccharin Solution and this worked because it was an outside company made sure the integrity of the test was maintained. I looked into options later in the process to save money in which we could get the fit testing kit and do it ourselves but I didn't explore this option too much since I had a concern about maintaining the integrity of the test by having someone within the company do it. We also did Quantitative Testing to do half mask tests. It was good to read this article and have some of the information explained better. I wish I could have used some of the information to better educate my people. However, I did notice that by having the workers go through the fit testing they were more inclined to use the respirators. So as always it seems that the more information you can give people about their safety and explain it in ways that they can understand the better results you have.
While fit testing is a tedious and seemingly simple process, safety is super important testing system that ensures the safety of workers in potentially hazardous environments. Often times when learning new things we hear "always use the right tool" and that really is the focus of fit testing. Without the proper safety gear, the environment is no longer secure or workable.
I’ve been fit-tested for respirators more than once, both times in the more basic QLFT method. I’d be curious to try a Quantitative Fit Test without shaving my beard. I’ve been told many a time that I can’t get a proper seal with facial hair and while I’m not saying that don’t believe that, I’d be curious to see the calculated results. The more serious problem I’ve seen with respirator users is improper storage, and both the use of improper filter cartridges or expired filter cartridges. Some people don’t realize that the cartridges are constantly working when exposed to air (as they’re air-purifying), and that they’re only rated for so many hours of work. What good is a spent filter…? It’s almost worse than improperly fit respirator. I also find it interesting that this article doesn’t mention that as part of fit testing, employees are exposed to the ‘flavored’ aerosols in a reduced amount, before receiving a full exposure while wearing a respirator. This part of the testing can often cause individuals to fail, because if they can’t taste or smell the reduced dosage without the respirator then there’s no control factor, not to mention that the individuals senses may be dulled enough that they wouldn’t be able to tell if their respirator was leaking anyway, and this could be even more dangerous. Safety First!
In high school I needed to wear a respirator for some of the weird materials that I was using to make sculptures, and our art department basically had one respirator. It was shared, and it has never been fit tested. I didn't even know what fit testing was until I came to CMU, and in retrospect I probably did expose myself to some pretty bad stuff (although I was also working outside and I think it fit okay). I actually still have that respirator, and I've been meaning to get fit tested for it, but a few months ago I realized that at this point it may be a health hazard. Because it was stored with my art supplies, and nearby the adhesives I need to use the respirator with, it's picked up some of the chemical smell. The first time I put it on this semester I breathed in and felt some of my brain cells pop. Since then I've removed the filters and just let the respirator air out, but I'm not sure if it's ever going to b usable again. Every once in a while I smell it, but it still has a very strong chemical odor. At some point, either with this respirator or with a new one, I am going to want to be properly fit tested. Reading this article was interesting, because I wasn't sure how they were able to accurately test respirators to see how effective they are.
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