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September 06, 2017
Buckle your seat belts! Put on your high-speed safety gear! We’re about to blast off on a journey to explore the N95 respirator … and beyond. It’s N95 Day, and that means we are focusing on respiratory protection, and invite you to do the same. We’ll make it easy. NIOSH and our N95 Day partners (see the N95 Day webpage for a complete list of partners) will be orbiting the internet to spread resources for proper respiratory protection practices. As always, you can find this information by searching #N95Day on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
During this observance, NIOSH advocates for the proper selection and use of respiratory protection. The N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) is the most commonly-used type of respirator, especially in healthcare environments. This piece of personal protective equipment is a vital and essential instrument in the safety toolbox for many professionals. We cannot stress our love for N95 respirators enough. (Heck, we made an entire observance to honor them.) However, there are certain situations in which respiratory protection program managers and users should pause to consider if another type of respirator would be a better fit (pun intended). This blog identifies times when an N95 respirator should NOT be selected as the most appropriate respiratory protection device.
Every type of air-purifying respirator can carry the N95 label if that is the type of filter used. (See our new infographic on the different types of air-purifying respirators!) One reason you might not want to reach for an N95 respirator is if the aerosol would degrade the filter media. But what does that mean … Respirator filters have three designations N (Not resistant to oil – our trusty N95 respirators are included in this category), R (Somewhat Resistant to oil), and P (strongly resistant or oil Proof). N95 respirators are designed to remove particles from the air you breathe, such as metal fumes (for example, fumes cause by welding), mineral or dust particles, or even biological particles like viruses. N95 respirators should NOT be used in the oily atmospheres including mineral, vegetable, animal, or synthetic oils and instead an R or P certified respirator should be chosen.
Similarly, an N95 respirators should NOT be selected to remove gases or vapors. If harmful gases or vapors are present in amounts greater than the exposure limits, you will need a respirator that uses a special cartridges or canisters containing specially treated charcoal to remove the harmful contaminants before you inhale it into your lungs.
A half-mask air-purifying respirator (filtering facepiece or half-mask with an elastomeric facepiece) has an assigned protection factor (APF) of 10.2 The APF is the minimum level of respiratory protection that would be provided by a properly fitted respirator, when all elements of an effective respirator program are implemented.3 A half-mask N95 respirator should NOT be selected if the exposure concentration exceeds the exposure limit by a factor of 10. Other respirator types can offer higher levels of protection and should be used in these instances, such as a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) which can offer an APF between 25 and 1000 depending on the type (half-mask, full facepiece, helmet/hood, or loose-fitting facepiece.4)
Here are NIOSH’s top 5 reasons to tune into N95 Day this year:
If you’re all about respiratory protection, then it’s all about #N95Day on September 6th. Every year NIOSH gears up for this social media party in which respiratory protection program managers and users of N95 level filtering respirators have made the VIP list. Look for information on Twitter (@NIOSH, @NPPTL, #N95Day) Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as well as the annual N95 Day NIOSH Science Blog article. NIOSH will test your N95 knowledge with trivia questions, pictures, and links to important resources.
Establishing an effective hospital respiratory protection program can be a particularly complex mountain to climb. NIOSH wants to help make this easier for the administrators of these programs. A new webpage on the NPPTL site is specifically dedicated to organizing all NIOSH information on this topic. The new page will be broken into categories of a hospital respiratory protection program, as established in last year’s OSHA/NIOSH publication - Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit: Resources for Respiratory Protection Program Administrators. This resource is available at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-117/(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-117/default.html
The Science Behind Respirator Fit Testing in the Workplace: Past, Present, and Future http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/webinars/n95day2016/n95day2016webinar.html September 6, 2016, 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time(8:00AM PST, 9:00AM MST, 10:00AM CST)
NIOSH’s partners have always been supportive of N95 Day, using their social media channels, newsletters, listservs, and word of mouth to spread word about the importance of understanding the proper use of respiratory protection and having the right resources to get you there. The goal is to protect hardworking men and women who rely upon respiratory protection, such as N95 filtering facepiece respirators, to keep them safe with every single use. Below is the beginning of the list of pledged N95 Day partners to date:
• 3M
• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
• American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)
• Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP)
• Cocciardi and Associates
• Deep South Center for Occupational Health & Safety
• Dräger, Inc
• Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care Systems
• International Safety Equipment Association
• Jeff Lee Safety Services
• Makrite Industries
• Miller Electric
• New York New Jersey Education and Research Center
• PA Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Workers' Compensation
• PA Safety Conference
• Pittsburgh Local Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association
• SAS Safety
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
• TSI
• Venus Safety
N95 Day is a national event. Proclamations have officially started rolling in, with the following city and states recognizing the observance (and the list will keep growing)
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Vermont
• West Virginia
If N95s are part of your workplace respiratory protection program, take some time on September 6 to focus on your safety and get to know NIOSH and the resources it provides. Confidence and familiarity with proper respirator practices is important for employers, respiratory protection program managers, and safety managers in all industries who rely on N95 respiratory protection to help keep workers safe. The education to build this familiarity must happen before the time comes when a respirator is needed. Especially make sure to check out this year’s new, handy-dandy infographics, which will be posted on the NIOSH Instagram page.
During this observance, NIOSH advocates for the proper selection and use of respiratory protection. The N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) is the most commonly-used type of respirator, especially in healthcare environments. This piece of personal protective equipment is a vital and essential instrument in the safety toolbox for many professionals. We cannot stress our love for N95 respirators enough. (Heck, we made an entire observance to honor them.) However, there are certain situations in which respiratory protection program managers and users should pause to consider if another type of respirator would be a better fit (pun intended). This blog identifies times when an N95 respirator should NOT be selected as the most appropriate respiratory protection device.
When the aerosols in the environment would degrade N-series filter media
Every type of air-purifying respirator can carry the N95 label if that is the type of filter used. (See our new infographic on the different types of air-purifying respirators!) One reason you might not want to reach for an N95 respirator is if the aerosol would degrade the filter media. But what does that mean … Respirator filters have three designations N (Not resistant to oil – our trusty N95 respirators are included in this category), R (Somewhat Resistant to oil), and P (strongly resistant or oil Proof). N95 respirators are designed to remove particles from the air you breathe, such as metal fumes (for example, fumes cause by welding), mineral or dust particles, or even biological particles like viruses. N95 respirators should NOT be used in the oily atmospheres including mineral, vegetable, animal, or synthetic oils and instead an R or P certified respirator should be chosen.
Similarly, an N95 respirators should NOT be selected to remove gases or vapors. If harmful gases or vapors are present in amounts greater than the exposure limits, you will need a respirator that uses a special cartridges or canisters containing specially treated charcoal to remove the harmful contaminants before you inhale it into your lungs.
When the exposure requires a higher level of protection than an N95 half-mask facepiece respirator provides
A half-mask air-purifying respirator (filtering facepiece or half-mask with an elastomeric facepiece) has an assigned protection factor (APF) of 10.2 The APF is the minimum level of respiratory protection that would be provided by a properly fitted respirator, when all elements of an effective respirator program are implemented.3 A half-mask N95 respirator should NOT be selected if the exposure concentration exceeds the exposure limit by a factor of 10. Other respirator types can offer higher levels of protection and should be used in these instances, such as a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) which can offer an APF between 25 and 1000 depending on the type (half-mask, full facepiece, helmet/hood, or loose-fitting facepiece.4)
Here are NIOSH’s top 5 reasons to tune into N95 Day this year:
1. Using social media for respiratory protection resources – it’s like a breath of fresh air
If you’re all about respiratory protection, then it’s all about #N95Day on September 6th. Every year NIOSH gears up for this social media party in which respiratory protection program managers and users of N95 level filtering respirators have made the VIP list. Look for information on Twitter (@NIOSH, @NPPTL, #N95Day) Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as well as the annual N95 Day NIOSH Science Blog article. NIOSH will test your N95 knowledge with trivia questions, pictures, and links to important resources.
2. NIOSH is launching its new home for hospital respiratory protection program resources
Establishing an effective hospital respiratory protection program can be a particularly complex mountain to climb. NIOSH wants to help make this easier for the administrators of these programs. A new webpage on the NPPTL site is specifically dedicated to organizing all NIOSH information on this topic. The new page will be broken into categories of a hospital respiratory protection program, as established in last year’s OSHA/NIOSH publication - Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit: Resources for Respiratory Protection Program Administrators. This resource is available at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-117/(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-117/default.html
3. NIOSH has scheduled a special webinar (for webinar summary, speaker bios, and registration, click the link below):
The Science Behind Respirator Fit Testing in the Workplace: Past, Present, and Future http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/webinars/n95day2016/n95day2016webinar.html September 6, 2016, 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time(8:00AM PST, 9:00AM MST, 10:00AM CST)
4. The power of partnership
NIOSH’s partners have always been supportive of N95 Day, using their social media channels, newsletters, listservs, and word of mouth to spread word about the importance of understanding the proper use of respiratory protection and having the right resources to get you there. The goal is to protect hardworking men and women who rely upon respiratory protection, such as N95 filtering facepiece respirators, to keep them safe with every single use. Below is the beginning of the list of pledged N95 Day partners to date:
• 3M
• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
• American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN)
• Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP)
• Cocciardi and Associates
• Deep South Center for Occupational Health & Safety
• Dräger, Inc
• Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care Systems
• International Safety Equipment Association
• Jeff Lee Safety Services
• Makrite Industries
• Miller Electric
• New York New Jersey Education and Research Center
• PA Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Workers' Compensation
• PA Safety Conference
• Pittsburgh Local Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association
• SAS Safety
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
• TSI
• Venus Safety
N95 Day is a national event. Proclamations have officially started rolling in, with the following city and states recognizing the observance (and the list will keep growing)
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Vermont
• West Virginia
5. A dedicated time to focus on respiratory protection
If N95s are part of your workplace respiratory protection program, take some time on September 6 to focus on your safety and get to know NIOSH and the resources it provides. Confidence and familiarity with proper respirator practices is important for employers, respiratory protection program managers, and safety managers in all industries who rely on N95 respiratory protection to help keep workers safe. The education to build this familiarity must happen before the time comes when a respirator is needed. Especially make sure to check out this year’s new, handy-dandy infographics, which will be posted on the NIOSH Instagram page.
SOURCE:
http://www.ishn.com/articles/104678-nioshs-5th-annual-n95-day-is-september-6
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