Jo Partridge, Technical Services Manager, Occupational Health &
Environmental Safety Division, 3M United Kingdom plc
Across a wide range of industries and applications, workers are
exposed to a number of hazards simultaneously. The need for
protection from all these hazards often means that more than one
item of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) may need to be worn* at
any one time.
In the construction industry, for example, workers may often be
required to wear head, eye, hearing and respiratory protection
simultaneously. Similarly, a welder may need to wear a respirator to
protect them from welding fume and hearing protection to protect
them from nearby processes in addition to their welding shield.
These instances, and indeed wherever hazardous substances or
processes require workers to wear a combination of PPE products, are
where issues of compatibility can occur.
For most types of PPE, the quality of fit is paramount to ensure
that optimum protection is offered, but an individual who tries to
fit incompatible PPE may not be able to get every item to fit
adequately. Consequently, items which are incompatible may result in
a reduced level of protection, from one or more items, or even no
protection at all. For example, protective eyewear could be
interfering with a respirator’s face seal pushing it away from the
nose and cheekbones, or likewise a pair of safety spectacles may sit
too highly on a wearer’s face when worn with Respiratory Protective
Equipment (RPE).
Unfortunately, the issue can be compounded by the fact that if a
wearer is experiencing discomfort as a result of incompatible PPE
products, they may be tempted to move one of the items to an
incorrect position, or even remove it altogether.
The law
Compatibility is recognised by the law, with both the Control of
Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) and the Personal
Protective Equipment at Work Regulations stating that any item of
PPE must be compatible with other PPE worn.
The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) linked to Regulation 7 of COSHH
states that “PPE should control exposure adequately to the hazardous
substances to which the wearer is exposed, or is liable to be
exposed, throughout the time it is used. When selecting PPE it is
important to take into account:...whether the design is adequate and
suitable, i.e. the equipment fits the wearer, does not dislodge,
deform, melt or otherwise fail to perform in the conditions in which
it is used and is compatible with other PPE worn.”
However, there is no general or overarching guidance as to which PPE
combinations are compatible with each other, due mainly to the
differences in the requirements of individuals. Face shapes and
sizes can vary considerably, meaning that a combination of PPE that
is compatible for one person may not be so for another.
Achieving compatibility
Individual PPE items will be CE marked and approved to the relevant
standards but this does not necessarily mean that they will fit well
together on a wearer - current standards do not assess the
interaction between individual products. This means that proposed
PPE combinations may need to be individually assessed on the wearer
to ensure compatibility and a range of styles and models of products
may be necessary to achieve a suitable fit for everyone in an
organisation.
Ideally, wearers should be involved from the start in the PPE
selection process. Time should be taken to find the right
combination for each individual, ideally allowing them to choose the
most comfortable products from a range of items. As a general rule,
if PPE products are comfortable when fitted correctly, they are more
likely to be worn and issues with compatibility are less likely.
Another option is to use combination products which bring together
several PPE types in a single unit – for example a powered air
respirator with a headtop which incorporates hearing, eye, head and
respiratory protection. This type of system reduces the number of
items competing for space on a wearer’s face.
Wearers should also be trained in the types of hazards they may
encounter, their health effects and the importance of obtaining a
good fit with all the PPE items they are required to wear.
Further advice, if needed, is available from product manufacturers
or their authorised distributors.
For further information and to access 3M’s technical bulletin on
compatibility visit www.3M.co.uk/safetyspotlights
* PPE must only be considered as an option when other measures in
the ‘hierarchy of control’ are unable to reduce the hazard to
acceptable levels.
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