Practical Guide to Respirator Usage in Industry

This new edition outlines the design and implementation of an effective respiratory protective equipment program for industries in which workers are at risk from inhaled particulates, toxins and other hazardous materials. The book is intended for managers, health and safety committees, safety specialists and occupational health professionals who need the most up-to-date and practical advice in a concise and easy to read step-by-step form rather than an abstract and theoretical reference on the subject. As in the first edition, the authors present individual components of a respiratory protection program by including chapters on the respiratory tract and how toxic substances affect the lung, different respirator types and their limitations, the criteria for selection, fitting, supervision, training, cleaning, administration and medical assessment, advice on how to set up an RPE (respiratory protection equipment) program, and case studies to illustrate the need of an effective RPE program in the workplace. An impressive number of new research and application related publications have been reviewed since the publication of the first edition. The references (including relevant web sites) and abstracts of these publications have been included to help the reader select appropriate resources for further reading. Experts guide you through the complex data presented to industries by OSHA, NIOSH, ANSI, BSI and other health and safety standards setting organizations and equipment manufacturers. This work helps you save time and effort in searching official OEM literature. It features several case studies to illustrate the improper respirator selections and resulting detrimental effects.