Respiratory Danger at Construction Sites
Whether digging below the earth or working in enclosed, dust-laden buildings, workers are exposed to countless respiratory hazards every day. The health effects of some of these hazards might not be seen for years, while others can cause instant loss of coordination and impairment.
Both short-term and long-term hazards can be debilitating to your employees and operations, and it’s vital to provide clean, breathable air at your workplace. Cautious selection of work materials and proper ventilation are the best ways to reduce respiratory hazards, but some situations require the use of respiratory equipment.
Below are guidelines to identify hazards and ensure proper protection.
Types of Hazards
Dust, vapors, gases, fumes, mists. While we often bundle these hazards together, each can have unique, negative consequences on your employees, and each requires specific respiratory equipment. Identifying the work you perform is a great way to determine where respiratory hazards originate–paint, solvents, sewers, welding fumes, crushed concrete–and what type of protection is required. Each hazard generates specific health consequences. Management is responsible both for providing personal protective equipment and for educating their employees on when to use it, so be sure you’re able to communicate which hazard requires which PPE.
Types of Protection
Respiratory equipment can be grouped into two main protection categories: air-purifying or atmosphere-providing. Air-purifying protection works to eliminate dangerous particles from the air, acting as a filter. These are either powered (which blows filtered air to the worker) and non-powered (which filter particles when the worker breathes, such as a common dust-mask).
Atmosphere-providing protection provides clean oxygen directly to the employee and is required when there’s a deficient oxygen supply or concentrated toxins in the air. Often, this equipment will completely cover the face and head of the employee, either providing oxygen through a hose from canisters of compressed air—like a SCUBA tank—or through a hose connected to a clean air supply.
Benefits for Your Employees
Employees stay healthy on the job and in the future when they employ the use of the correct types of respiratory equipment. Respiratory risks—often unseen, sometimes unscented—might expose your workers to toxins they don’t know about if they aren’t given the proper tools to identify dangerous situations. Many of the most dangerous toxins are odorless. And, when working around dust particles, it’s difficult for employees to know how dangerous the air quality is. Encourage leaning on the side of caution, and have employees wear respiratory equipment whenever there’s a chance toxins could be present.
Benefits for Your Company
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strictly enforces the use of respiratory equipment in potentially hazardous environments. Not only does OSHA dictate that employers should provide the necessary respiratory equipment, they also enforce proper use of that equipment, like fit-testing, and “test atmosphere” procedures.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in expensive fines and penalties. Your company will benefit financially by ensuring the proper availability and usage of respiratory equipment, be it powered or non-powered, air-purifying or atmosphere-supplying. Whatever the risk, there’s equipment available that has been specifically designed to provide healthy breathing conditions for your employees. Know the risks, make sure they know them too, and provide the equipment necessary.
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