Personal Protective Equipment – Respirators – Maintenance

Respirators—Maintenance

Explain dangers

To provide protection, respirators must be properly maintained. Dirty, missing, or damaged parts can prevent your respirator from working properly.
For instance, valves that are damaged, missing, or poorly seated can drastically reduce the protection provided by your respirator.
There’s also a danger in sharing respirators—it’s not hygienic.

Identify controls

Particulate respirator filters are identified by a letter and a number. The letters are:
N – not resistant to oil
R – resistant to oil
P – oil-proof.
The numbers are 95, 99, and 100. These indicate efficiency: 95%, 99%, 99.9% (100).

Filter cartridges for chemicals such as ammonia, organic vapours, solvents, or acid gases use different filter technology. Look at the cartridge before selecting a respirator.
With use, filters become harder to breathe through. You’re breathing not only through the filter but also through the contaminants that build up on the outside of the filter.

As gas and organic vapour filters are used, their ability to remove gases and vapours decreases.
A filter must be changed if:
• it is damaged
• it becomes difficult to breathe through
• the replacement period specified by the manufacturer is reached
• the cartridge displays an “end-of-service-life” indicator.
Leave a contaminated area and change filters right away if:
• you can smell or taste the contaminant through the filter
• your throat or lungs feel irritated.
Each worker should have their own respirator.
Before a respirator is used a different worker, it must be washed and disinfected. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.
Store respirators in a dry location away from dust, chemicals, oil, and grease. Protect it from the sun, excessive heat and cold, and vermin.

Demonstrate

Demonstrate what to look for when inspecting a respirator. Inspect two or three respirators in use. Make necessary adjustments and arrange repairs or replacements.
Check the facepiece for holes, cracks, and splits. Check the inhalation valves for damage, dust and dirt, and proper seating.
Remove filters and make sure the flapper valve (usually a flexible disk) isn’t missing or damaged. Make sure the flapper valve is seated properly in the valve assembly.
Remove the cover at the bottom of the respirator to inspect the exhalation valve. Check the valve for damage, dirt, and proper seating. Make sure that straps and buckles are free of damage and working properly.

For more information, visit the IHSA website.