Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
DATE: July 01, 2010 19:23:09 CST
Use Of Respirators for Responders
NEW ORLEANS - The Unified Area Command is committed to stopping the oil spill, cleaning the gulf and restoring normal business in the area affected. Our highest priority is worker safety.
The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) haveassessed the risk and provided information on workplace safety and health for these responders; the guidelines can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/<WBR></WBR>topics/oilspillresponse/<WBR></WBR>protecting/
The primary means of controlling airborne exposures to harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors is always to prevent, control, or remove the atmospheric contamination. In situations when exposures cannot be otherwise controlled, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including respiratory protection, may be needed.
Based on air monitoring data collected to date, exposures to hydrocarbons, dispersants and other hazardous chemicals are below established occupational exposure limits. In most situations that have been examined to date, mandatory wearing of respirators is not required.
That said, respirators will be provided to response workers engaged in the source control activities and for vessels involved in burning crude oil. These respirators are provided as part of a comprehensive respiratory protection program. Respirators only need to be worn when air-monitoring results indicate an elevated level of air contaminants, or when professional judgment determines there is potential exposure, or when workers are reporting health effects or symptoms.
Even when comprehensive and routine air monitoring indicates that no inhalational hazard exists, an employer may permit respiratory protection to be worn voluntarily by employees provided it will not in itself create a hazard. At this time, where air monitoring does not indicate a need, respirator use is voluntary and not recommended.
The only situation where voluntary use may be helpful is when an individual is bothered by non-hazardous levels of hydrocarbon odor and cannot be relocated to another work area. In that case, a carbon-impregnated odor-reduction filtering facepiece respirator may provide some odor reduction potential—and can be worn voluntarily without the employer having to implement a respiratory protection program. These types of respirators do not provide health protective effects; they only provide odor reduction.
Wearing any respirator will have adverse effects on breathing, vision and communication, will result in some discomfort, and may cause additional physiological stress. Wearing respirators, protective clothing, and other forms of PPE in hot environments can accelerate the onset of heat stress and exhaustion. Responders using any form of PPE, particularly dermal PPE, should be monitored for signs of heat stress, and take heat stress precautions (i.e., water, shade, rest) as needed.
When workers have concerns about environmental conditions, they are instructed to stop the job and call an occupational safety and health professional to evaluate the environment. If the occupational safety and health professional determines that there is a potentially hazardous exposure or if workers are reporting health effects or symptoms, workers are instructed to move out of the area until the workplace is judged to be acceptable, or they may be instructed to utilize approved respiratory protection.
For more information on health risks associated with oil spill response cleaning efforts, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/<WBR></WBR>topics/oilspillresponse/.
For information about the response effort, visit [URL="http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com."]www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.[/URL]
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/731603/
Use Of Respirators for Responders
NEW ORLEANS - The Unified Area Command is committed to stopping the oil spill, cleaning the gulf and restoring normal business in the area affected. Our highest priority is worker safety.
The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) haveassessed the risk and provided information on workplace safety and health for these responders; the guidelines can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/<WBR></WBR>topics/oilspillresponse/<WBR></WBR>protecting/
The primary means of controlling airborne exposures to harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors is always to prevent, control, or remove the atmospheric contamination. In situations when exposures cannot be otherwise controlled, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including respiratory protection, may be needed.
Based on air monitoring data collected to date, exposures to hydrocarbons, dispersants and other hazardous chemicals are below established occupational exposure limits. In most situations that have been examined to date, mandatory wearing of respirators is not required.
That said, respirators will be provided to response workers engaged in the source control activities and for vessels involved in burning crude oil. These respirators are provided as part of a comprehensive respiratory protection program. Respirators only need to be worn when air-monitoring results indicate an elevated level of air contaminants, or when professional judgment determines there is potential exposure, or when workers are reporting health effects or symptoms.
Even when comprehensive and routine air monitoring indicates that no inhalational hazard exists, an employer may permit respiratory protection to be worn voluntarily by employees provided it will not in itself create a hazard. At this time, where air monitoring does not indicate a need, respirator use is voluntary and not recommended.
The only situation where voluntary use may be helpful is when an individual is bothered by non-hazardous levels of hydrocarbon odor and cannot be relocated to another work area. In that case, a carbon-impregnated odor-reduction filtering facepiece respirator may provide some odor reduction potential—and can be worn voluntarily without the employer having to implement a respiratory protection program. These types of respirators do not provide health protective effects; they only provide odor reduction.
Wearing any respirator will have adverse effects on breathing, vision and communication, will result in some discomfort, and may cause additional physiological stress. Wearing respirators, protective clothing, and other forms of PPE in hot environments can accelerate the onset of heat stress and exhaustion. Responders using any form of PPE, particularly dermal PPE, should be monitored for signs of heat stress, and take heat stress precautions (i.e., water, shade, rest) as needed.
When workers have concerns about environmental conditions, they are instructed to stop the job and call an occupational safety and health professional to evaluate the environment. If the occupational safety and health professional determines that there is a potentially hazardous exposure or if workers are reporting health effects or symptoms, workers are instructed to move out of the area until the workplace is judged to be acceptable, or they may be instructed to utilize approved respiratory protection.
For more information on health risks associated with oil spill response cleaning efforts, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/<WBR></WBR>topics/oilspillresponse/.
For information about the response effort, visit [URL="http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com."]www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.[/URL]
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/731603/
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