One size fits all?

Ian Kelsall, Technical Specialist, Respiratory Protection Equipment for Draeger Safety UK, highlights the need for inclusivity in respiratory protection.

Providing respiratory protective equipment (RPE) for employees operating in the construction industry is a well-recognised and generally well-understood requirement for employers. However, the practical realities of supplying appropriately-fitting RPE that requires a tight seal to the face – such as filtering face pieces and half- and full-face masks that truly fit each user to protect them from airborne hazards – can be a more complex challenge.

The GB Health and Safety Executive states that there are two key questions that are essential when specifying RPE. Is the equipment:

• adequate? Is it appropriate for the specific hazard involved and does it reduce exposure to the levels needed to protect the health of the worker?
• suitable? This introduces the wearer, the task and the environment, which can be more challenging as it includes the suitability for the individual employee.

Outdated view

Historically, respirator mask design has been based on standardised adult head shape profiles, using a model developed in the 1960s from studying white male military personnel in the US Air Force. This created a fit problem for those who fell outside of the standard facial dimension, such as women or different ethnicities, as well as not taking into account the changes that occur as the individual ages.

Today in the UK, British Standards Institution standards are based on the 50th percentile of four dimensions (face length, face width, face depth and mouth width) of a more ethnically diverse sample group. This is critical, as more diverse construction workers mean more demand for RPE that better accommodates different head and face size and shape, as well as individual specifics such as facial hair.

Fit is clearly a vital component to ensure safety across construction environments, but the importance of fit goes beyond having a tight seal to the face – it is essential to ensure protection from hazardous substances entering around the sides of the mask.

Poor fit can also lead to poor compliance. Badly-fitting respiratory equipment will often be uncomfortable, or the mask simply ‘won’t feel right’, and therefore workers may wear the RPE incorrectly or not at all.

This leads us to consider those with facial hair, deep cuts or scars, or those who can’t wear a mask for medical reasons, where a different approach is needed. For these groups, a mask is often not an option, so in such scenarios a powered air purifying respirator is a good solution. Such devices can be used with a range of different head pieces appropriate for the task required. These can often offer additional benefits as they will not only accommodate different head and face shapes and sizes, as well as individual characteristics such as facial hair, but they can also provide additional head, face and eye protection. This negates the need to worry about compatible Personal Protective Equipment.

RPE is not about ‘one size fits all’, but crucially about making sure that the equipment addresses the questions of being both adequate and suitable for the wearer – and, in doing so, ensuring that construction employees stay safe in their working environment. 

For more, visit b.link/Draeger_respiratory

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