What type of mask is appropriate in construction environments?
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)?is extremely important in construction environments, where dusts such as Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) and other harmful contaminants present a major hazard to health.?
What RPE do I need for construction dust?
Construction dust and silica generally require RPE with a UK assigned protection factor (APF) of 20?with particulate filter for adequate protection. This can be achieved using a?half mask with P3 filters,?FFP3 disposable dust mask, or?TH2P powered respirator.
In some situations, an APF40 is required (full face mask with P3 or?TH3P powered respirator).
A full risk assessment must be assessed to identify any other respiratory hazards, and to measure concentration levels of contaminants where required.?
What is RPE?
Respiratory protective equipment protects the wearer against hazardous substances by filtering the contaminant to reduce exposure to a safe level, or by providing a supply of clean air.?
Respirators are independently assessed to ensure they provide effective protection against a contaminant, with rigorous testing for performance and user safety.
Tight-fitting RPE, which includes?disposable respirators,?half masks, and?full face masks, relies on creating a tight seal with the wearer’s face to offer protection. These types of respirators must be fit tested to ensure they are suitable for the wearer and able to perform effectively.?
Medical masks & face coverings
Medical masks and face coverings do not provide an adequate level of protection against inhalation of dust and other particulates. With face coverings and medical masks on hand for most of us at the moment, it might be tempting to wear one of these instead of the required RPE, which can be more expensive and less readily available, but these types of products do not provide adequate filtering.?
Face coverings and medical masks are not intended to provide protection against inhalation of hazardous substances in a construction environment and are therefore not suitable alternatives.
Medical and surgical masks capture droplets exhaled by the wearer, to protect the working environment, and can also provide splash protection to the wearer against liquids that may contact the mask. These products meet the requirements of EN 14683, for medical masks, and the HSE state they are not classed as PPE when worn outside of healthcare settings.?
While they can offer increased protection against droplets when compared with standard face coverings, they do not create a tight seal with the face to prevent inward leakage and are not tested for particulate filtration at the level required for respiratory protection in a construction environment.
Face coverings are intended to capture droplets exhaled by the wearer in order to protect those around them. They are not intended to protect the wearer and do not provide a tight seal. Face coverings are not considered PPE and there is currently no need for them to conform to EN or ISO standards.
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