Air Purifying Respirators - Safety Talk

Air Purifying Respirators
Page 1 of 11
© PA Services Group - SMARTsafe 2013 Document Number: ST049
Revision 2013 1.0
This pack contains:
• 8 - Page Talk Text
• 8 - OHP Presentation Slide Pack
Using the talks (Extract “How to Present Safety Talks”):
Plan which topic you want to discuss with your team.
Read through the script before you hold the meeting to
familiarise yourself with the material.
Start the talk with a comment that makes the topic relevant to
the team. For example, if you have seen a number of people
using ladders incorrectly, use this as your opening comment.
Follow the script but don’t read straight from the page. The
script is only a prompt and it will sound better if you use your
own words.
Ask the questions as they appear in the script. It is important
you do this because they are a lead in to the next section of
your talk.
Give the team enough time to answer the questions. Safety
talks can be boring for the team if you are the only one talking.
Hand out the information sheets as they appear in the script.
Don’t hand out all the information sheets at the start of the talk
otherwise there is a temptation for the team to read ahead and
not listen to the points you are making.
Collect the information sheets at the end of the talk so they
can be used again.
Safety Talk Mini - Delivery Pack
To obtain your full Safety Talk Delivery Pack go to: www.smartsafe.com.au
The full Safety Talk pack contains MS Office
Editable documents :
• 8 - Page Talk Text
• 8 - OHP Presentation Slide Pack
• 16 - A5 talk Handout Sheets
• Assessment and Assessment Answers Sheet
• Employee Attendance Register
• A “How to Present Safety Talks Guide”
SAFETY AWARENESS KEPT SIMPLE
SMARTsafe Safety Talks - ST049

Page 4 of 11
Revision 2013 1.0
AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS
“What are some of the airborne contaminants that you can find
in the workplace?”
Hand out sheet 1 – Airborne contaminants
The kinds of respiratory hazards which may require the use of respiratory protection includes:
particulate contaminants;
gas contaminants; and
oxygen deficient atmospheres.
Particulate contaminants are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air.
Fumes are solid condensation particles of extremely small size. Fumes are found in the air where
soldering, welding and brazing work is carried out.
Mist is tiny liquid droplets given off whenever a liquid is sprayed, mixed or agitated. Spray painting is an
example of where mists are formed.
Vapours are formed by the evaporation of liquids. Solvents that are used in spray painting, such as
acetone, generate vapours.
Toxic gases are any gases that are capable of producing injury when entering the body in sufficient
concentration. Examples include chlorine, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen cyanide.
Dust is solid particles suspended in the air which are created by cutting, grinding, crushing and handling
of solid materials. Silica dust generated by the cutting of bricks is an example of dust that is particularly
harmful to the lungs.
Gas contaminants are toxic gases and vapours that are present in the air.
Oxygen deficiency is a respiratory hazard. An atmosphere with an oxygen content below 19.5% of the
atmosphere is harmful to the human body and is termed “oxygen deficient”. This usually occurs in poorly
ventilated areas such as confined spaces. e.g. workshop pit.
This document is a partial preview. Full document download can be found on Flevy:
http://flevy.com/browse/document/air-purifying-respirators-safety-talk-472

Page 7 of 11
Revision 2013 1.0
To provide adequate protection the mask must be worn at all times while exposed to the contaminant. If
you have to remove or adjust the mask, leave the contaminated atmosphere.
HALF-FACE RESPIRATOR MASKS
Hand out sheet 5 – Half-face respirator masks
Half-face respirator masks are similar to disposable mask respirators but have a more complex design
and a higher filtering efficiency.
Half face respirators consist of a rubber or flexible plastic mask which is designed to cover the nose and
mouth area. Replaceable filter cartridges are screwed into the mask in front of the inhalation valves.
Half-face respirator masks can be used for protection against particulate contaminants and certain types
of gases. They are fitted with inhalation and exhalation valves.
Half-face respirator masks reduce the level of particulate and gases by passing the contaminated air
through an absorbent material contained inside the cartridge. The absorbent can be charcoal or some
other special material.
Hand out sheet 6 – Filter cartridges
The three types of particulate filter cartridge are:
Class P1 used for filtering dusts;
Class P2 used for filtering out dusts such as silica and asbestos metal fumes from welding; and
Class P3 used for protection against highly toxic or highly irritant particulate such as beryllium dust
asbestos and metal fumes from welding.
A gas filter cartridge may be very effective in filtering one type of gas but totally ineffective in filtering out
another type of gas, so it is important that you know how to select the correct type of cartridge.
Gas filter cartridges are made from different colour plastic material and labelled with:
the type of gas they are designed for; and
their absorption capacity.
The gas type is indicated by a standard letter and in some cases, the name of the gases they are
suitable for. For example, a type K filter is designed for filtering ammonia
The absorption capacity is indicated by a class letter or number. The higher the number the greater the
capacity of the filter.

Page 10 of 11
Revision 2013 1.0
SELECTING THE CORRECT RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
Selecting the correct respiratory protection requires knowing what type of contaminant is present and in
what concentrations, particularly with toxic gases, vapours and dusts.
If you are unsure, check with your Supervisor or Safety Adviser who will arrange for atmospheric
sampling.
If you know what contaminant is present but are unsure of what type of respirator and filter cartridge to
use, refer to the Safety Data Sheet which will tell you the correct type of respiratory protection to wear.
Failing this, refer to your Supervisor or Safety Adviser.
SUMMARY
Air purifying respirator masks cannot be used as protection in atmospheres that are deficient in oxygen.
Make sure that you wear the correct respiratory protective equipment for the type of airborne
contaminant that is present.
Always check the respirator seal, because without the seal you are not protected. Wear your respirator
at all times where a contaminant is present.
Change disposable respirator masks, filter cartridges and canisters as soon as you suspect they are
becoming clogged or failing to filter out the contaminant.
If there is any doubt as to what respirator you should be using, refer to Material Safety Data Sheets, your
Supervisor or Safety Adviser.
FURTHER REFERENCES FOR THE SUPERVISOR/PRESENTER
ISO and/or Country Standards relevant to your country or region some examples:
United States NIOSH
European standard EN 143
European standard EN 149
AS/NZS 1715 - “Selection, maintenance and use of respiratory protective devices.”
AS/NZS 1716 - “Respiratory Protective Devices.”
Other References:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/prevention/ppe/respslct.html

Air Purifying Respirators – ST049 © PA Services Group - SMARTsafe 2013
Sheet 1 – Airborne Contaminants

Class P1 masks are used for filtering dusts
such as silica and asbestos.
Class P2 masks are used for filtering metal fumes
They cannot be used as protection
against:
• highly toxic dusts;
• Toxic gases; or
• Vapours.
Check the mask for:
• holes in the filter material;
• Strap tension; and
• Secure metal nose clip.
Check the face seal before using the mask.
Sheet 4 – Disposable Respirator Masks

Check the face-piece for dirt, cracks or tears
Check inhalation valves are clean
(located behind the cartridge
Check exhalation
valves are clean
Check head straps for tears
and broken buckles
Check filter cartridges are
fully screwed into the
mask
Check the face seal before using the mask.
Sheet 7 – Half-face Respirator Mask

1
Flevy (www.flevy.com) is the marketplace
for premium documents. These
documents can range from Business
Frameworks to Financial Models to
PowerPoint Templates.
Flevy was founded under the principle that
companies waste a lot of time and money
recreating the same foundational business
documents. Our vision is for Flevy to
become a comprehensive knowledge base
of business documents. All organizations,
from startups to large enterprises, can use
Flevy— whether it's to jumpstart projects, to
find reference or comparison materials, or
just to learn.
Contact Us
Please contact us with any questions you may have
about our company.
• General Inquiries
support@flevy.com
• Media/PR
press@flevy.com
• Billing
billing@flevy.com

Air Purifying Respirators - Safety Talk

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Flevy.com Best Practices

More from Flevy.com Best Practices (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Air Purifying Respirators - Safety Talk