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A respirator program appears to be a small,
easily managed program, but underneath the surface a Respirator Program
Manager finds a dynamic program that presents real administrative
challenges.
Most people know better than to drive their
car without an air filter. So, why would they work around toxic-airborne
hazards without wearing a respirator? I don't have the answer, but I do
know it happens. Here are some examples from mishap reports received at
the Naval Safety Center:
- A Sailor had been assigned to
paint a cofferdam below an AFFF-storage tank. He was using enamel,
semi-gloss paint. The compartment was a confined space, with no supply or
exhaust ventilation, and the Sailor wasn't wearing respiratory protection.
After he had been working about two hours, shipmates found him in a
semiconscious state. One minute later, he lost consciousness, began
convulsing, and stopped breathing. A medical team revived and stabilized
him, then took him to a hospital. Doctors there said he was suffering from
acute hydrocarbon intoxication because of his exposure to the paint.
- Another Sailor was removing paint
with paint thinner when he became dizzy and nauseated from breathing the
vapors. He wasn't wearing PPE, even though it was present in the space.
Doctors treated him for acute chemical inhalation and assigned him to 24
hours SIQ.
- A BM3 (supervisor) and four
non-rated Sailors were told to paint out the boatswain's storeroom after
normal working hours. The four non-rated personnel had been trained and
fit-tested for respiratory equipment; the BM3 hadn't. Ventilation for the
space consisted of only a vent trunk in the passageway outside the
storeroom.
All five Sailors worked in the storeroom,
but only the four non-rated personnel wore respirators. These devices had
been issued the previous day with HEPA dust cartridges, but they weren't
returned to the central-issue point as required. Therefore, the
respirators had not been cleaned and certified safe for use again.
Originally, the five Sailors were supposed
to use paint rollers for most of the job; however, there would be some
minor spray painting. Because the overhead cableways hindered using the
rollers, the Sailors decided to spray paint the entire space. Now, they no
longer just had the wrong filter cartridges; they should have switched to
air-line respirators but didn't.
After painting for an undetermined amount
of time, the BM3 left the space to make a departmental duty muster. The
duty officer noticed the BM3 had a glassy-eyed look and asked him what
kind of work he was doing. The duty officer then stopped the painting and
ordered all five Sailors to medical, where doctors diagnosed them with
toxic exposure. They were treated and released with no duty for 24 hours.
- Finally, an E-1 was painting in a
poorly ventilated storeroom without wearing respiratory protection. After
she had completed the job, she began to hyperventilate, became
lightheaded, and developed nasal irritation (symptoms of over-exposure to
paint vapors). Her supervisor sent her to ship's medical, where she was
treated and placed SIQ for 24 hours.
Knowing when a respirator is required and
why it's needed is a critical first step in wearing the device. An
effective respiratory-protection program provides this first step and
readily makes proper protection available to the end user.
The best respiratory-protection programs
are often the simplest ones. A respiratory-protection manager (RPM)
probably will find that although this program creates an administrative
burden at the beginning, its day-to-day management will be easy as long as
you give it the right amount of attention. Before taking over a ship's
respirator program, the RPM must attend the appropriate training course
and be appointed by the CO. Once this point is reached, the necessary
components of a respiratory-protection program can be assembled.
The next step is to determine the command's
respiratory-protection needs. An industrial-hygiene officer usually helps
with this task. Respiratory requirements are detailed in the ship's
baseline industrial-hygiene survey report. This report includes the
minimal usage of respirators in your ship and outlines what workcenters
require respiratory protection, for what operations, and the specific
types needed.
After the industrial-hygiene evaluation is
completed, copies of the report can be sent to the appropriate workcenter
supervisors. The supervisors create a list of all the people in their
workcenters who do or are likely to do operations requiring respiratory
protection. These people become the initial enrollees in the
respiratory-protection program.
The medical department can then begin
medically screening each person on the list. Everyone must be screened to
ensure they are physically capable of wearing a respirator. Those who pass
this screening can be provided respirator fit-testing and training. The
fit-testing and training are annual events, while the medical screenings
are age-dependent and may be required only once every five years.
You then can generate a database with the
names of people enrolled, their medical screening, fit-testing, and
training dates, and the model and size of the respirator for which they
were fitted. I recommend sending this roster back to the supervisors
monthly so they can manage their people and keep the enrollment list
current.
The RPM will know exactly what types of
respirators and filters are required from the baseline industrial-hygiene
survey, and must ensure all of them are stocked. The RPM also must ensure
all respirators are NIOSH/MSHA certified. At least two different brands of
respirators must be available, thus ensuring that all personnel requesting
a respirator can be properly fitted.
Establish a central-issue-and-storage
space, with regular issue and return hours. Some managers have found that
a drop box works well when returning respirators. You must maintain an
effective respiratory-inventory control, which means a respirator must not
be left hanging by its straps or laying in a toolbox. That condition
threatens the respirator's ability to protect people and reflects poorly
on the program. It would be helpful to number each respirator for
inventory control. That way, you will know how many weren't turned in and
who signed them out.
Store and issue the respirators in a
zip-lock bag and have people record the hours the respirator actually was
used. This info will help you manage when the filters need to be replaced.
Clean the respirators before re-issue, but don't use alcohol as it will
dry out the rubber face seal, and have an ample supply of spare parts.
Ensure only qualified personnel do the repairs.
When issuing a respirator, check the
enrollment roster and make sure the person is qualified. Anyone who isn't
qualified doesn't get a respirator. You also must ensure that the
operation personnel are requesting respirators for has been evaluated by
the safety officer. By doing this, the safety officer will be able to
identify new operations requiring respiratory protection, to identify
training needs, or to clarify occupational-health hazards.
After these initial steps are completed,
the RPM will only have to ensure the list of respirator users is kept
current and the fit-testing and training is done annually. Train your
supervisors and safety petty officers to make sure people use respirators
correctly when required.
If questions or problems arise, work with
your safety office, consult the NavOSH Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
Chapter B6 of OpNavInst 5100.19D, or contact the local industrial hygiene
officer. Once you have accomplished these basic steps, you can be certain
that you have an effective program and that everyone is breathing fresh
air.
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