3M: Mix and match powered & supplied air respirators - the choice is yours

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Wednesday, 09, Apr 2008 12:00

3M believes that health and safety is first and foremost about safeguarding worker welfare and that improving worker protection and comfort will help create a healthier and safer environment for a workforce. This belief is borne out in the extensive modular range of powered and supplied air respirators that have been developed so that YOU can choose the respirator you want with the flexibility to change in the future. You simply select a headtop and a modular belt unit to give you the protection you require. The versatile range covers many industrial applications and the attention to design means that any combination gives you a refreshing air flow, comfortable headtop and options of integrated head, face and eye protection.

Once the level of respiratory protection has been decided you can begin your selection process, taking the working conditions into consideration, matching a 3M headtop to either a 3M Powered Air Turbo Unit or a 3M Supplied Air Regulator.

Building the ideal respiratory protection system

To build the perfect respiratory protection system for your specific application, you simply select a headtop, a breathing tube and a modular belt unit. 3M has developed five series of hoods, visors, helmets and welding shields to provide a broad selection of headtop designs that are suitable for use in many different industrial applications so that you can choose the best one for the job:

- 3M 100 Series Hoods – Lightweight hoods. The range features increasing levels of coverage and protection

- 3M 400 Series Visors – Eye and face protection from impact and chemical splash

- 3M 600 Series Welding Shields – Welding applications and impact protection

- 3M 700 & 800 Series Helmets – Hard hat and bump cap protection with eye protection.

In addition to the modular range, the Speedglas 9000 auto-darkening welding shield for use with the Jupiter or Dustmaster Powered Air Turbo units completes the range. Real attention has been paid to the ergonomic design of the headtops to ensure maximum wearer comfort without compromising protection.

Each of the modular headtops can be combined with any of the Jupiter or Dustmaster powered air turbo units or Flowstream supplied air regulators, giving you the versatility to mix and match the right respirator for your workplace.

What hazards cause respiratory damage?

Initially identifying the hazards to the respiratory system by conducting a ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment will help to choose the correct respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and there are 6 main respiratory hazards:

- Dust, which describes a range of small, dry particles

- Mists, tiny liquid droplets formed either by atomisation or condensation processes

- Fume, a fine aerosol that can be chemically or thermally generated

- Gases, substances that become airborne at room temperature and can spread freely and quickly

- Vapours, the gaseous state of substances that are either liquids or solids at room temperature. These are formed when substances evaporate

- Oxygen deficiency, this occurs when the level of oxygen in the atmosphere falls below 19.5 per cent by volume. The risk of oxygen deficiency should always be taken into account before carrying out work in confined spaces.

RPE Selection

RPE can be broken into two main types: Air Filtering and Air Supplying. Air Filtering devices include disposable respirators, half and full masks and powered air (turbo unit) respirators. Air supplying devices include equipment that deliver air from either a cylinder (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) or compressor (Air fed equipment).

If an air filtering device is selected, the correct filter must be matched to the hazard and there are three types of filter to consider: particulate, gas & vapour and combination. Air supplied devices are generally selected when the gas/vapour hazard has ‘poor warning properties’ (wearer can’t smell and/or taste substance at a safe level), it’s a static job location (e.g. paint spraying, assembly line where the user does not move around) or if HSE Guidance dictates. Self Contained Breathing Apparatus is typically selected in oxygen deficient environments or where levels are Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health.

3M’s Product Manager for powered & supplied air and welding respirators, Mike Cottam, explains “We are determined to ensure that workers are healthy and safe and that they are also working in comfort. That is why we have developed such an extensive range of products, giving our customers the versatility they need. We offer such a wide range of powered and supplied air and welding respirators that can be mixed and matched to the customer’s delight!” For more information please call our health and safety helpline: 0870 60 800 60 (UK) or 1 800 320 500 (Republic of Ireland), visit our website www.3m.com/uk/ohes or contact your 3M distributor.

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Jupiter, Dustmaster, Flowstream, Speedglas and 3M are trademarks of 3M Company

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3M is a $24.5 billion diversified technology company which, since 1902, has been creating innovative products that help make the world smarter, faster, healthier and safer. Well known 3M brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate and Scotch-Brite.

3M employs 75,000 people worldwide, producing thousands of innovative products for customers in dozens of diverse markets in some 200 countries. Its 40+ technology platforms touch nearly every aspect of modern life - the company has applied its expertise in RFID technology to deliver biometric passports; it is using its understanding of the healthcare industry to provide hospitals with infection prevention and detection solutions; and its digital signage offerings are revolutionising the way businesses communicate with their customers, their employees and the general public.

The UK and Ireland is home to one of the largest 3M subsidiaries outside the USA, employing 4000 people across 18 locations, including 12 manufacturing sites. Products manufactured in the UK include coated abrasives, occupational health and environmental safety equipment, adhesive tapes, industrial microbiology products, drug delivery systems, high-performance coatings, secure documents and passport scanners.

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