If you followed the sound advice that I synthesized in my last post about developing and implementing a respirator program for your company, then you are a very smart cookie. First of all, you are smart for reading this in the first place; second, you are smart for noticing that I was providing such a service for your benefit; and third, you are smart for actually taking action and beginning to put the wheels in motion to either develop a program, or to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of your company’s current program.

[Photo courtesy of Danielle_blue from Flickr via a Creative Commons license]Workplace respirators like this one are vital to keep workers safe on worksites with bad air or toxic fumes present. But it is important to know the type of respirator your workers need for them to be the most productive at work.

We can establish that you are a smart cookie – after all, you come here for the latest knowledge about workplace health and safety, right? (The correct answer is “yes,” by the way.) But now that you are looking into a respirator program, the next step is how the cookie crumbles. Being a smart cookie and understanding the importance of this type of program is certainly one thing, and important in its own way. But executing a plan can be a whole different animal, and here I will show you smart cookies one of the first steps to executing that respirator plan in a smart way.

And it really comes down to the respirators themselves.

There is an entire section in this PDF (provided by WorkSafeBC) that goes into great detail about respirators – the various types of devices, filters and cartridges and how to determine the right respirator to use at your particular worksite. As the section is so comprehensive, I won’t go into great detail here, but I will give some general highlights and takeaways – through you are highly encouraged to look at the PDF to get the specific information you need about your particular business or industry.

There is a handy little table that explains the three general types of respirators – air-purifying, air-supplying, and escape – and the different conditions in which each could be used. Many of these respirators have a variety of filters or cartridges to choose from based on the types of contaminants that the worker may encounter. We’ll touch on these types of respirators briefly, and I reiterate that it is strongly encouraged that you read the entire section of the PDF linked to above for more detailed breakdowns of each respirator so you find the one that best fits your needs. In some industries and worksites, the respirator could very well be the most important piece of equipment you buy, for the sake of the safety and health of your workers.

* Air purifying respirators (APRs) come in non-powered and powered forms, but are used basically in areas where there are low, but noticeable, levels of contaminants in the air. These are basically just meant to clean the air before the worker inhales. Medical personnel and certain construction workers would wear these types of respirators.

* Air-supplying respirators, as the name suggests, supply air to a worker through an airline coming from a compressor, tank or other mobile device that is sometimes carried by the worker. These are good for areas where there are very high levels of contaminants and particulate matter where the air is not very safe to breathe or there is little to no oxygen. SCUBA gear and what firefighters often use would fit in this category.

* Escape respirators are designed to help workers get out of contaminated areas. They are intended for use only in extreme circumstances and only for a few minutes – just enough time for a worker to get out of a dangerous situation. There are both air-purifying and air-supplying options.

As you select the type of respirator that best fits your company’s needs, you can then pick the right cartridge or filter for the types of contaminants your workers will most likely encounter during their work. Taking the time to research and assess this for the sake of your workers is a great way to save your company a significant amount of money and worker productivity because the investment will ensure the health and safety of your workers, keeping them on the job longer and make them more productive and make your company more efficient.

And that would be reason to breathe easy.