Understanding which respiratory products your workers need to help them get the job done safely.
Degree of protection required by user
Minimal respiratory hazards
Immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH)
Disposable Respirator
| Assigned Protection Factor |
|---|
| Up to 10 |
| Typical Use Duration |
| Minutes to hours |
| Benefit |
| Convenience & maintenance-free |
Reusable Half Face Respirator
| Assigned Protection Factor |
|---|
| Up to 10 |
| Typical Use Duration |
| Minutes to hours |
| Benefit |
| Low-cost solution for “normal” levels of protection from airborne hazards |
Reusable Full Face Respirator
| Assigned Protection Factor |
|---|
| Up to 50 |
| Typical Use Duration |
| Minutes to hours |
| Benefit |
| Low-cost solution for “normal” levels of protection from airborne hazards |
PAPR & Continuous Flow Supplied Air
| Assigned Protection Factor |
|---|
| Up to 1,000 |
| Typical Use Duration |
| Typically 2-12 hours per shift |
| Benefit |
| Integrated personal protection equipment system for comfort and effectiveness |
SCBA & Pressure Demand Supplied Air
| Assigned Protection Factor |
|---|
| Up to 10,000 |
| Typical Use Duration |
| 30-75 minutes |
| Benefit |
| Highest form of respiratory protection - the default solution for the unknown |
When should workers use a pressure-demand SCBA?
Contaminant cannot be filtered or adsorbed
Unknown air quality
Airborne concentration unknown
Compressed air source not available
Reduce exposure as low as reasonably achievable
Unusual and/or non-repeating task = uncharacterized exposure
Exposure varies significantly during task
Environmentally friendly
