Unfortunately, it is not uncommon, during my visits to factory, to find that not everyone using respirator has the face piece fitted well and many of them did not go through the fitting procedure to ensure proper fitting.  I have in some occasions even seeing people wearing respirator upside down.  I asked him “Why are you wearing your respiratory this way?” He told me, “This way I feel more comfortable…..”  You may laugh, but I don’t because it is a serious mistake to wear respirator like that and the result could be fatal in a critical environment.

Remember, you must be trained to do positive and negative test when you are donning a respirator the first time onto your face.  These qualitative tests will ensure that there is no leakage from the sides of the respirator face piece. You must do these tests whenever you wear a respirator and before you entering the contaminated area.

Why fit test is important? Because you want the air you are breathing in to pass through the air-purifying filters or cartridge that will remove the harmful pollutants.  You do not want un-filtered polluted air to leak into your respirator face piece.  If after fit test, you can not get a air-tight fitting, you should try some other models of respirator or another size. Respirator face piece does come in different sizes, S, M or L although the medium size can fit well to the majority of the population.

Respirator face piece fit test is critical important for SCBA donning and in fact for wearing any respirator before entering into critical environment.  Safety Supervisor must make sure that every one using respirator especially the ERT (Emergency Response Team) members are well trained.  Negative and positive fit test of respirator face piece can be done you self without help from some one else, if you know how to do it.

Is fit testing difficult? Absolutely NOT and on the contrary, it is quite simple.

One of my friend’s sons has started working in a car body repairing workshop recently.  His works include metal cutting, cleaning, welding and even paint spraying.   He came to see me for safety advice because he is not receiving safety training in his work. He felt disappointed after talking to me because he was not given the basic safety gear for his works I told him that he has the right to ask for them and if the employer does not provide him with all the safety equipment and training he needs, don’t work for him.

Will you do the same if you were him?  If you walk into the workshops and factories in your town, do you see these things around?

Remember, earning a living does not means checking in your health or life for it and there is existing laws protecting you.

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Introduction:

Many Sarawakian’s first experience seeing people wearing facemask on the streets started some years ago when the air was filled with thick haze generated from open-air burnings related to bush fires or land clearing agricultural activities. People were seen wearing various types of disposable facemasks including the single use paper dust masks, surgical masks and home made washable fabric masks to protect them from breathing in the polluted air particles.  I believed that many of them in face did not know what to wear for the haze.  They used whatever was available.

Were they protected from the hazy air? I did not think so because these disposable facemasks are not good enough to filter the airborne fine carbon particles.  Instead, N95 (American mask ratings) and FFP2 (European mask ratings) are the lowest types of dust masks that should be used to filter the hazy pollutant. But most people do not know what are N95 and FFP2.

Not only that, many who are working in the dusty workplaces do not know too what to choose for their respiratory protection.

This article shall explain to you some of the basics on disposable dust masks. You will know more about the masks you are wearing or how to select the right types of mask for the protection you need.

Disposable filtering dust masks:

Disposable filtering dust masks are widely used today for various purposes, for example:

• For personal hygiene
• In occupation safety – for respiratory protection against dusts and mists
• In clinical and medical uses – for disease prevention
• In clean room operation and for food safety – for human contamination control

US-NIOSH (United States – National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) together with CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommended the surgical mask and N95 respirator mask for H1N1 flu prevention in conjunction with other personal hygienic practices such as washing hands.

Types of disposable filtering dust masks:

To avoid confusion, US-NIOSH categorized commercial available disposable dust masks in 2 major groups – the facemasks and respirator masks.

(A). Facemasks

(A1). Paper masks

(A2). SBPP facemasks

(B). Respirator masks

(B1). American Ratings – N95, N99, R95, R99, N100, P100 etc

(B2). European Ratings – FFP1, FFP3, FFP3 etc

Their functions and limitations are described below:

(A). Facemasks

(A1). Paper masks

One of the most common paper masks selling in the local market is the Nurse Brand 1-ply and 2-ply single use paper mask (with elastic ear loops) packed in 100 pieces per dispenser box. They are cheap and widely used in clinic as single use disposable mask for personal hygiene.

We have customers in the beverages and food processing industry   using them for human contamination control.

As they are made of thin paper, they are useless when wet and can be torn easily.  They will burst when you sneeze or cough. They are not suitable for industrial usage and not for haze or H1N1 flu.

Unfortunately, when our air was filled with haze, many people were given and wore this type of mask when they went out-door.  They thought they were protected but they were not.

(A2). SBPP masks

Made of SBPP (Spunbond Polypropylene) fabric with elastic ear loops, elastic head loops or non-elastic head ties, they are more durable and resistant to wetness than the paper facemasks. They made in green, blue, pink or white color. There are 2-ply or 3-ply SBPP masks and are commonly known as surgical masks.

SBPP masks are used for

• Clinical and surgical mask
• Personal hygiene
• For clean-room operation
• For food safety

They are pack in 50 pieces per bag or per dispenser box.

US-NIOSH together with CDC recommended wearing 3-ply surgical mask for H1N1 prevention. (See my earlier articles “Correct use of facemask or respirator for influenza prevention”)

SBPP 2-ply and 3-ply mask, however, are not recommended for toxic industrial dusts or chemical dusts or for mists that produce toxic vapors.  They do not give adequate protection against haze that consists of mainly fine carbon particles.

(B). Respirator masks

(B1). The American Ratings

For locals, the best known disposable respirator mask is perhaps the N95 mask because of their heavy advertisements when haze first attacked our countries many years ago.  N95 is American NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) rating given to filtering dust masks that capture at least 95% of the airborne particles (0.3 micron in size or larger) used in the testing.

There are 7 classes of respirator mask given by American NIOSH:

Table extracted from NIOSH web page http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/default.html

N95, N99, N100 – Used for water based dust and water based mist only; not for oil based dust and oil based mist.

R95, P95, P99 and P100 – Can be used for both water based and oil based dust and mist.

N100 and P100 are HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air filters that will remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 micron in diameter or larger.

(C2). The European Ratings:

European countries have their own set of Ratings for dust masks.  They are

• FFP1 (Low efficiency)
• FFP2 (Medium efficiency)
• FFP3 (High efficiency)

In European countries, only masks in compliance with EC Directive 89/686 (such as FFP2 and FFP3) are recommended for respiratory protection against airborne particles such as H1N1 flu virus.  Disposable nuisance dust masks and 3-ply SBPP Surgical masks do not carry EC markings are not recommended for H1N1 because they do not comply with this legislation.

WHO (World Health Organization) recommended wearing FFP2 mask as precautionary measure when no H1N1 infection is indicated.  For H1N1 caretakers (including handling infected animals), FFP3 masks are recommended.

US-NIOSH together with CDC recommended the surgical mask for precautionary measure when no infection is indicated.  For H1N1 caretakers (including handling of infected animals), N95, N99 or P100 masks are recommended.

Disposable respirator masks for occupational safety

Disposable dust masks should not be used for occupational safety.  They are not efficient filter to protect our respiratory organs from harmful dusts and fume.

You should read recommendation on respirators or masks from product labels or MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and only those carry American or European Ratings or other international markings should be used for occupational safety. One of the most basic rules you must remember is that they must not be used in oxygen deficient condition (when and where oxygen is too low to sustain life).

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1.  Bibari SK10 Silicone Half Face Single Respirator

Lightweight, easy breathing protection
Easy cleaning and low maintenance
Soft face piece
Easily adjusted head straps and low profile design provide a high level of comfort for long periods of wear
DOSH Approval – JKKP MR 46/98

2.  Bibari 09202 Organic and Vapors Cartridge

Protects against organic vapors
CE 0120 & EN 14387:2004 standards

3.  Bibari 0950 Organic, inorganic, acidic gasses and ammonia cartridge

Protects against organic, inorganic, acidic gasses & ammonia
CE 0120 & EN 14387:2004 standards

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You attended a project meeting in the large meeting room.  The meeting was chaired by a soft-spoken lady who seated at the far end of the long meeting table.  She did not use a microphone as usual for this kind of meeting.

Being a responsible subordinate, you listened with your full attention and carefully took down all notes you needed. During the briefing, in some points, you did have some difficulties in catching what she said but you managed to write them down.

You believed that you have taken down all you needed and left the meeting room happily without verifying with her because she was busy.

Following her instruction given in the briefing, you started doing your parts in the project.

However, when she came inspecting your job later, she pointed out mistakes you have made.  You wondered because everything you have done is exactly according to what she has instructed in the meeting.  You tried to explain but she insisted that you were making mistakes.

You became very upset and just did not understand why she behaved like that?

Do you know what the problem is?

If you were a manager and found that one of your subordinates was making mistake. He insisted that he was following your instruction that day given to him in the meeting room at some distance.

What do you think then the problem is?

This scenario is in fact not uncommon and it could be costly or even fetal in the extreme cases.

Why?

Most likely, you, or your subordinate in the later case, are having some problem in hearing.  In other words, you or he could be having some hearing loss due to some reasons. In the case with the soft spoken lady as chair person in the meeting, you though you have taken down all accordingly but in fact you have not, because you could not hear all she said.  That was why you made mistake.

Who shall be blamed?

If I were to interview a person and I want to make sure he has no problem in taking down my instruction, I would send him for an audiometric test.  He will come back to me with his audiogram showing his hearing capability.  It sound very unusual but hearing loss is not uncommon nowadays due to noise in the workplace – not necessary in the factory.  If you are selling in an audio shop bombarding yourself every day with loud instrumental noises, I am sure you will have noise induced hearing loss if you work there long enough.  That noise induced hearing loss is permanent – what is lost is gone forever.

Unfortunately, many do not know that they are having hearing loss.

Are you one of them?

If your workplace is noisy and you have to raise your voice to talk to someone at the normal talking distance, you mostly likely need to wear hearing protection device to protect you from noise induced hearing loss.  The only way to know if you have hearing problem is to go for audiometric test.

If you are manager or safety officer, we need a hearing conservation program to make sure that every one working in the noisy areas are protected from hearing loss.

If you want some free training on hearing conservation program, please contact us here.

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1. Hidden medical problems could be serious – Case 1

In the cocoa plantation, we have harvesting workers who contracted cocoa pod harvesting work during the harvesting months. Harvesters were told to harvest only the ripening pods from the trees. The ripening pods must be yellow, red or purple in color. The unripe pods are green. Each harvester was using a pruning secateurs or harvesting tools with a sharp chisel blade and a hook.  The pods harvested by each harvester were piled up at the edge of the planting blocks near the road side for inspection and collection.

Although it is not uncommon to see some green pods harvested due to human error and the Field Conductor normally would alerted the harvesters for the mistakes. In most cases, such mistakes could be verified quickly and effectively.

In one of my regular inspection round, I found a particular pile with many green pods. The Field Conductor in-charged of the harvesting gang was asked for an explanation. The Conductor told me that he has reported the problem to his Supervisor and the harvester was told to harvest only the ripening yellow, red or purple pods.

I noticed that the green pods found in the pile were all in mature size. Immediately, I have the possible answer in my mind but I kept silent. I went into the cocoa block where this worker was harvesting the pods.  I found that there were still many ripening pods on the trees, most of the hidden behind the green or brown leaves, not harvested.  Many of them are yellow, red in colour but smaller in sizes.  This finding further confirmed my answer but I still kept quiet.

I called a meeting in that afternoon. The case was revealed to the Manger and the Assistants. To my surprise, they were all informed about the problem but none of them know the answer.

Being a Biologist as my academic background, I told them the harvester could be colour-blinded. The harvester was suspended from the harvesting job and sent to clinic for colour blindness checking.  Sure enough, he is colour-blinded.  He simply could not differentiate the red and green.  That is why he kept on harvesting the green pod – as long as they are big enough in size.  He must be having great difficulty to identify the ripening pods especially under the dense cocoa canopy with limited penetrating sunlight. Instead of selecting the colours, he went for sizes!

He was finally removed from the harvesting gang.

What will happen if a colour blinded person is not knowing his problem and driving a car facing the traffic light?  I wound be surprise that many people do not know that they are colour blinded unless they go for colour blindness testing.

What will happen if a colour blinded person is posted to a job that require him to act based on colour shown?  Would you send him for colour blindness checking first?

Another interesting story will be posted soon.

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2. Writing Your Factory’s Own Safety Programme

1. Stay home if you are sick.
2. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
3. Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
4. Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
5. Keep up with health information in you own community.

In addition to the CDC’s 5 flu-safety tips, I carry with me a flu-safety pack wherever I go, to protect me from infected.  The safety pack carries the following items:

1. 4 pieces of 3-ply surgical mask
2. 2 pieces of foldable ATEM 3022 FFP2 respiratory mask
3. 1 bottle of P70 skin (hand) disinfectant

When I go to a crowded place where I may get flu virus, I shall wear the 3 ply surgical mask.  I shall follow my mask changing rule (please read my articles on how to wear mask) whenever I need to change my mask.  I believe 4 pieces should be enough for one day at the moment.

If I am going to have a close proximity contact with a sick person (He could be a family member, friends, relatives or may be someone I do not know), I will put on the respiratory mask.  The foldable ATEM 3022 FFP2 masks will allow me to carry them in my bag without damaging them.

When there is no hand washing facilities or it is inconvenient to wash hands, I will use the hand disinfectant to disinfect my hands before I put on a new mask or whenever necessary.  A 100ml press cap spray bottle of P70 liquid disinfectant will be sufficient for a day’s work.

I shall discard the mask I wear before I come home to avoid bring home the virus.

The next day, before I go out again, I shall make sure that my flu-safety pack is replenished accordingly.

Don’t you think you should do the same?

The flu-safety pack I carry wherever I go to protect myself from flue infection:

4 pcs of 3 ply mask

2 pcs of ATEM 3022 FFP2  foldable respiratory mask

One bottle of 100ml press cap bottle P70 disinfectant

Where to buy the flu-safety pack? Contact us through our contact form here.

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我们也发现很多人在戴口罩时，戴的方法都错了。有人把它戴的上下颠倒，或者内外不分，有的把它挂在鼻子下面， 或者把眼镜包在口罩下面，这 些都错了。

要说明怎样戴口罩，我们先来说明世界卫生组织推荐的两种口罩。第一种是三层的手术用口罩。普通有青，兰，白三种颜色 （颜色其实不重要）。” 第二种是 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 和 FFP2 口罩。让我们一一来说明。

三层的手术用口罩

N95，N99, P100, FFP1和 FFP2 口罩

当你要去人多而可能有流感传染的地方，你可以戴上三层的手术用口罩，世界卫生组织建议大家在进行社交活动时彼此保持最少三尺的安全距离。

可是，当你要照顾或者要近距离靠近或接触带流感病症者时，你就不能戴用这种三层的手术用口罩。你最低限度要戴用 N95 或者 FFP1 。戴 N99, P100 或者 FFP2 更好。

你会问，什么是 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 和 FFP2 呢？是这样的， N95 ， N99, P100 是美国国家职业安全与卫生研究所和美国国家工业标准局为口罩对粉状微粒的过摅效率所订下得标准。顾名思义， N95 有 95% 的效率 , N99 有 99% 的效率 , P100 有近 100% 的效率 . FFP1 和 FFP2 是欧洲经济共同体订下的标准。

口罩必须盖住鼻子和嘴巴，不要只是挂在鼻子下面。 戴的时候要看清楚里外。有颜色的一面向外，向外的褶纹向下。有软条的一边向上（ 软条是用来扣住鼻子的）。请按以下步骤来戴上：

1. 先用肥皂清水洗净，抹干双手

2. 摊开口罩，认清里外上下，手不要触摸口罩内面，拿住绑带或耳环带，戴 上。

3. 用手稳住口罩，按下软条鼻扣，拉下口罩下边。

4. 用手整理好口罩，确保全面盖住鼻口。

5. 自然呼吸。完成。

请按以下步骤来戴上 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 和 FFP2 口罩：（我在这里用可折型 FFP2 口罩做例子说明）

1. 先用肥皂清水洗净，抹干双手。

2. 用手把口罩张开，有鼻扣软条的一边向上，手不要触摸口罩内面。

3. 这种口罩有两条橡皮筋，下面一条要套在颈项，上面一条要套在头顶。

4. 戴眼镜的人，最好先把眼镜拿下来。

5. 用一手轻轻握住口罩，另一手拉住颈橡皮筋。

6. 把口罩戴上，盖住鼻子和觜巴，拉住颈橡皮筋往后拉套在颈项。

7. 再把头顶橡皮筋套在头顶上。

8. 用手指把鼻扣软条按下，固定口罩。

9. 再用双手整理好口罩，要肯定口罩安稳舒服地戴好。

10. 戴眼镜的人，现在可以把眼镜戴上。眼镜不可以包在口罩下面，要 架在口罩上面。

11. 自然呼吸，完成。

市上卖的 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 和 FFP2 口罩有圆形和可折型两种。圆形口罩比较难以携带。可折型口罩不但携带方便，也容易保护口罩内面不受污染。

戴着口罩时，记住不要用手触摸口罩。

不管是三层的手术用口罩， 还是 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 和 FFP2 型口罩，它们都是一次用完型口罩。在以下的情况，请你马上把口罩脱了换掉：

1. 你戴着口罩打喷嚏或者咳嗽后。

2. 有人在三尺内向着你打喷嚏或者咳嗽， 而对方并没有戴口罩。

3. 任何时候你认为你戴着的口罩已被污染。

脱换口罩也有一套方法：

1. 离开先前被污染的地方。

2. 不要用手触摸口罩表面，用手指拉住橡皮筋或者绑带把口罩从脸上脱下。

3. 把口罩丢进垃圾桶内就可以了。

4. 在拿出新口罩之前，先用肥皂清水洗净，抹干双手。如 果没有洗手的设备，你可以用瓶装的皮肤消毒剂或清洁剂把双手消毒。

5. 拿出一片新的口罩戴上。

以下几点提议，希望能帮助大家预防流感入侵：

1. 出门时携带多几片口罩，以备更换。

2. 带瓶皮肤消毒剂或清洁剂。没水洗手时可以用来消毒双手。

3. 出门时戴上的口罩不要戴回家，以免把病菌带回家里传给家人。

4. 在没有感染的地方不必戴口罩。

5. 戴口罩不一定能保护你不被感染，它却是你的最后防线。

6. 勤洗手，没事不要用手摸脸。

7. 你如果怀疑或者已经证实染上流感，没戴口罩时打喷嚏或者咳嗽，别 用手巾，用纸巾。用后将纸巾丢进垃圾桶（请不要随地乱丢！），然后洗手或者消毒双手。

8. 请记住，当你要照顾流感家属或者朋友时，别用三层的手术用口罩， 用 N95 ， N99, P100, FFP1 或者 FFP2 型口罩。

在流感还没有大规模入侵前，大家就要先想好如何去预防。比方说，你 是个幼稚园老师，你班上今天忽然间有个学生发烧，呈现流感病症状况，你要做什么？或者你是个家庭主妇，你要确保家人不被感染，你要做什么？或 者你是个生意人，整天在外面走动，接触的人多，你要怎样保护你自己呢？

记住 - 有备无患，保护自己，也保护别人！

拿出一片三层的手术用口罩

先认清上下内外

拿住两旁橡皮筋戴上

用手指按下鼻扣软条

整理好口罩

口罩必须盖住鼻口到下巴，眼睛挂在口罩上面

脱下口罩时，别触摸口罩。用手指提住橡皮筋。丢弃垃圾桶内。

一手握住口罩，轻轻挂在口鼻上，令一手拉住颈项橡皮筋向上向后套在颈上。

一手握住口罩，轻轻挂在口鼻上，令一手拉住颈项橡皮筋向上向后套在颈上。

按下鼻扣软条，再用双手整理好口罩。

口罩戴好后，必须盖住口鼻到下巴，口罩周围必须紧贴住脸皮。眼镜不要包在口罩内，要挂在口罩上面。

脱下口罩时，别触摸口罩。用手指提住橡皮筋。丢弃垃圾桶内。

供稿人：蔡伟良， SYARIKAT BMS 公司负责人。全文可游览公司网址 www.bmssafety.com

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• Strength: 20 kN long axis.
• Opening: 50 mm.
• Weight: 492 g
• CE EN 362

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Connector ref. 981

Connector ref. 981 is symmetrical oval shape is ideal for use with a pulley with a round section for optimal distribution of forces at the interface between the accessory and the carabiner.
Lock manual locking system (metallic sleeve): simplifies operation with one hand.

Keylock system: snag-free body / gate interface,avoids accidental snagging of the carabiner onto the anchor, the rope, the harness.

• Strength: 25 kN long axis.
• Opening: 13 mm gate opening width.
• Individually tested.
• Weight: 175 g
• CE – EN362

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• Shock absorbers constucted from nylon webbing.
• Maximum elongation: 1.2m.

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