Fit for purpose

David Lummis from the BSIF asks whether your respiratory protective equipment is up to the job

EMPLOYEES who regularly face respiratory hazards at work are putting their health in serious danger if they are not properly protected. Often the effects of working unprotected may not emerge straightaway, but it could inevitably cause a degree of ill health further down the line.

Due to the wide range of laboratory based activities within the science industry, it is essential that appropriate, good fitting respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is selected. The pharmaceutical industry has a particular challenge as it is faced with a range of hazards including cytotoxic drugs and biologically active ingredients.

This is no small concern.  According to a survey carried out by the HSE¹, approximately 5.5 million employees in about 220,000 workplaces are potentially at risk of respiratory disease.  Further research has shown that up to an estimated 75% of these workers are not adequately protected from inhalation exposure of hazardous substances; they may have access to respiratory protective equipment (RPE) but, frequently, it doesn’t offer the level of protection that is required. Incorrectly selected, sized and poorly fitted RPE defeats the object of wearing it.

Employees have a right to be informed of the potential dangers that they face in their workplace and to be given the tools to protect themselves adequately.  For employers, not only is there a moral obligation to correctly protect their staff, there are also legal implications for failing to do so properly.  UK safety and health regulations stipulate that RPE must be correctly selected and those using the equipment should receive adequate training. 

To help reduce occupational respiratory disease by raising awareness of the issues around it, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) will soon be launching a joint initiative with the HSE entitled “Clean Air?Take Care!”.  Targeted towards users of RPE and organisations that may need to deploy RPE to protect their staff, the campaign aims to highlight the problems and promote sensible solutions to respiratory protection, including the correct selection, deployment use, maintenance and storage of RPE. 

One of the major reasons that the RPE is ineffective is that it simply does not fit, regardless of the quality of the equipment.  Where a face seal is necessary, an appropriate fit test must be conducted by a competent person, however this isn’t as straightforward as it seems.  Up until now, fit testers of RPE have not been accredited, often making the selection of a “competent” person a matter of luck and guess work.  Unfortunately a lack of suitable knowledge, skills, experience and understanding of fit testing can leave the wearer of the equipment wide open to potential respiratory health problems.

To tackle this particular issue, the BSIF has developed an industry self regulated competency scheme in collaboration with the HSE and other industry stakeholders – the BSIF Fit2Fit Fit Test Providers Accreditation Scheme. 

Advantages of successfully completing a nationally recognised accreditation scheme spread far and wide.  It demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the HSE guidance on fit testing and the ability to fit test in practical circumstances.  This should prove of great benefit for ‘commercial’ fit testers whilst also providing HSE inspectors and RPE users with evidence of competence.  Employers who select these accredited Fit2Fit personnel to fit test their employees may mitigate liability in the event of an incident: the HSE explains that “following this scheme is not compulsory and employers are free to take other action to comply with the law.  But, if you follow this scheme, you will be doing enough to demonstrate good practice.”
 
Ultimately, of course, the success of this scheme is reliant upon employers and laboratory managers recognising the importance of ensuring that the RPE that is provided is selected and fits employees properly.  We hope that by substantially increasing the correct fitting of RPE, we can significantly reduce the incidence of occupational respiratory disease.

For further information, call the BSIF on 01754 585 600 or visit www.fit2fit.org.  To find out more about the BSIF-HSE campaign, visit www.bsif.co.uk.

¹ HSE FIT3 Survey 2005