Breathing Gas Purity Testing
Every employer has a duty of care to their employees to ensure that the equipment that they provide is suitable and that risks to health are adequately controlled.
Breathing gasses (including air) that are supplied to breathing apparatus must meet stringent purity standards and shall not contain contaminants, as listed in EH40, at a concentration that can cause toxic or harmful effects. BS EN 12021:2014 states that all contaminants shall be kept to as low a level as possible and shall be one tenth of a national 8 hour exposure limit. For gasses breathed at hyperbaric pressures of greater than 10bar or exposure times that are greater than 8 hours, contaminants shall be revised to take into account the effects of increased partial pressures and exposure times.
There are a number of breathing gas test methods available but can you be sure that they are accurate and that you are protecting your employees from the harmful effects of breathing contaminants or toxins?
Ocean Technical Safety Services Ltd provides a breathing gas purity testing service that employs FTIR spectroscopy which is highly accurate. It provides a permanent record of results and conforms to the requirements of BS EN 12021:2014 Respiratory equipment – Compressed gases for breathing apparatus. Testing is carried out at a UKAS accredited laboratory by highly experienced technicians.
Face Fit Testing
For those who wear tight-fitting respiratory protection in the course of their work, it is essential that it fits correctly. The effectiveness of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is very dependent upon how well it fits the face.
Employers have a legal duty to provide a safe working environment for their employees, this includes making sure that the PPE provided for them is correct for the task that they are undertaking and also that it performs correctly.
The effectiveness of the seal should be checked when selecting the RPE or when changing from one manufacture or model to another. We also recommend that face fit testing is carried out periodically to ensure that changes to facial features do not compromise the fit of the mask.
Two methods of face fitting are available: Qualitative and Quantitative.
- Qualitative fit testing is a subjective test and therefore more suitable for low risk particulates and disposable masks.
- Quantitative fit testing measures the relative number of particles inside and outside the mask providing an accurate, repeatable test for tight fitting masks and higher risk particulates.
Ocean Technical Safety Services Ltd provides a face fit testing service using TSI PortaCount Respiratory Fit Testing apparatus.
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