TOPIC 4 RESPIRATORY PROTECTION Flashcards
DESCRIBE the requirements of the respiratory protection program, in accordance with
Navy Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series.
a. As an Independent Duty Corpsman you will be required to know and describe the
requirements of the respiratory protection program.
STATE the command responsibilities to the Respiratory Protection Program. (Reference
Navy Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series).
a. Personal Responsibilities:
(1) Commanding Officer
(a) Shall appoint a respiratory protection manager in writing.*
(2) Respiratory Protection Program Manager (RPPM)
(a) Shall complete the required training course within three months of assuming the position.*
(b) Ensure accurate guidance exists for respiratory protection.
(c) Develop and maintain a list of personnel in program.
(d) Provide guidance to supply officer on proper respirator types and adequate stock levels.
(e) Establish control points for issuance and maintenance.
(f) Ensure training on respirator program requirements for users, issuers and supervisors*
(g) Ensure air compressor air is tested for purity.
(h) Monitor program effectiveness.
(i) Evaluate the program at least annually.
(j) Ensure proper fit-testing is performed.
(3) Department Heads/Division Officers
(a) Provide respiratory protective equipment.
(b) Ensure personnel who use respirators obtain training, fit-testing and received medical qualification.
(c) Ensure personnel properly use respiratory protection.
(4) Medical Department Representative
(a) Conduct or schedule pre-placement evaluations and periodic evaluations.
(b) Medically certify qualified individuals.
(c) Assist RPPM in identifying hazards, evaluating hazards, and selecting the appropriate respirators.***
DESCRIBE the requirements of a medical clearance for respirator use. (Reference Navy
Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Technical
Manual, NMCPHC-TM 6260.51.99-2 Series).
a. Requirements for Respirator Use
(1) Personnel who have been confirmed by the MDR as having no deployment limiting medical conditions, and with a current annual PHA are considered qualified to wear any type of respirator.
(2) Shipboard personnel undergoing shore firefighting training are not required to obtain medical qualification or respirator fit testing for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), including the Oxygen Breathing Apparatus (OBA), prior to reporting for training. *
(3) In cases where Individual Medical Readiness status cannot be determined or other medical factors exists, a formal respirator certification using Medical Matrix (Respirator User Certification Exam 716) should be performed.*
(4) Examiner
(a) A physician or a registered/occupational nurse, physician assistant, preventive
medicine technician, or independent duty corpsman may conduct the evaluation.
(5) Disposition
(a) Medically qualified without restrictions
(b) Medically qualified with restrictions
(c) Not medically qualified
1) Medical Department Representative must sign request.
DEFINE the terms used in the Respiratory Protection Program. (Reference Navy
Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series, Glossary).
a. Respiratory Protection Program Terminology:
(1) Aerosols
(a) Any material dispensed from a pressurized container using a gas propellant.*
(2) Contaminant
(a) A material that is not normally present in the atmosphere, which can be harmful to anyone who breathes it.
(3) Dust
(a) Small solid particles created by breaking up of larger particles by processes such as crushing, grinding, or expulsion.
(4) Fumes
(a) Small particles (<1 micrometer) formed by condensation of volatilized solids, usually metals.
(5) Gas
(a) A material that under normal conditions of temperatures and pressure tends to occupy the entire space uniformly.
(6) Mist
(a) Finely divided liquid droplets suspended in air and generated by condensation or
atomization.
(7) Oxygen Deficient Atmosphere
(a) O² deficient atmosphere is an atmosphere with insufficient O² to support life. This deficiency is usually caused by oxidation, dilution, or by the displacement of
oxygen by other gases.
(b) Must be 19.5% by volume to use an air-purifying respirator.*
(8) Smoke
(a) A carbon or soot particles less than 0.1 micrometer in size resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials such as coal or oil.
(9) Vapor
(a) Gaseous state of a substance which is normally a liquid or solid at room
temperature.
(10) Atmosphere Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health IDLH
(a) The concentration of a contaminant which can produce an immediate irreversible debilitating effect on health, or which can cause death.
DESCRIBE the common engineering control used for air contaminants. (Reference Navy
Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat,
OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series, A0403).
a. Engineering Controls:
(1) Ventilation Systems
(a) Supply
1) Can be used in NBC/CBR shipboard environments
(2) Exhaust*
(a) Forced Air Systems (Laboratory Hoods in Medical/Dental spaces)*
(b) Damage Control Gear (Red Devil Blowers)
DISCUSS Gas Free Medical Surveillance and Gas Free Physical Exam. (Navy Occupational
Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat, OPNAVINST 5100.19
Series)
a. Responsibilities
(1) Commanding Officer shall:
(a) Establish a comprehensive gas free engineering program adequately staffed with
personnel trained, qualified and certified to perform gas free engineering
services.
(b) Ensure that all personnel comply with program requirements.
(2) Safety Officer
(a) Ensure that the gas free engineer program is evaluated at least annually.
(3) Medical Department Representative
(a) Advise the GFE (Gas Free Engineer) regarding medical aid in the event there is a victim(s) in the space and continues aid once the victim(s) is removed.
(b) Monitor the victim’s use of other emergency breathing equipment and advise the GFE when replacement required.
(c) Utilize Medical Matrix to perform physical exams depending on exposure.
IDENTIFY types of respirators. (Reference Navy Occupational Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat, OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series)
a. The three basic types of respirators are air-purifying, atmosphere supplied air and SelfContain Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).
(1) Air-purifying Respirators
(a) Remove air contaminants by filtering, or absorbing them as the air passes through the cartridge.*
(b) Adequate oxygen (19.5 percent by volume) must be present.
(c) Available with half and full face pieces.
(d) The full-face piece respirator provides a higher degree of protection.
(e) Air-purifying respirators are available as single-use (e.g., disposable) or reusable.
(f) They are effective only when used with the appropriate cartridges, filters, and pre-filters for the air contaminants present.
(g) Air-purifying respirators may be either non-powered or powered.
(h) SURGICAL MASKS do not provide protection against air contaminants. They are for MEDICAL/ DENTAL USE ONLY and must NEVER be used as an airpurifying respirator.*
(i) MILITARY GAS MASKS MUST NEVER BE USED IN PLACE OF AN AIRPURIFYING RESPIRATOR. They are used for chemical biologicalradiological (CBR) warfare. *
b. Air-purifying respirators are subdivided by the type of contaminant they protect against.
(1) Particulate air-purifying respirators
(a) Use cartridges, filters, and pre-filters designed to protect against inhalation of
aerosols, i.e., solid or liquid particles dispersed in air.
(b) Removes nuisance particles, and toxic dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, smokes and sprays.
(2) Gas and vapor air-purifying respirators.
(a) Use cartridges and canisters that remove contaminants through absorption and adsorption.
(3) Combination cartridges and canisters
(a) Combine the removal capabilities of two or more type cartridges in a single
cartridge.
(4) Pre-filters.
(a) Used to protect against an aerosol containing a volatile organic solvent.
(b) Adds another level of protection.
c. Atmosphere-Supplying Respirators*
(1) Protects the user by supplying oxygen to ensure maintenance of life. Specific incidences for use:
(a) Used when the contaminant has no warning property.
(b) The contaminant’s concentration is too high to use an air-purifying respirator.
(c) Used when an environment is Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH).
(2) There are two types; supplied-air respirators and self-contained breathing apparatuses.
(a) Supplied-air Respirators
1) Hose mask respirators
a) Consist of a face piece, breathing tube, harness, and large-diameter,
thick- wall, non-kinking, air-supply hose.
b) Air may be supplied by a blower or the user may simply draw the air
into the hose with each breath.
c) Is being removed from the fleet because it offers no advantage over the
air- line respirator.
(b) Air-line respirators and SCBAs
1) Air-line respirators can be subdivided into three types:
a) Demand:
(1 Available only with a face piece, it supplies air to the user on demand (inhalation) which creates a negative pressure within the
face piece.
b) Pressure Demand:
(1 Available only with a face-piece. It maintains a continuous positive
pressure within the face-piece, thus preventing contaminant leakage into the face-piece.
c) Continuous Flow:
(1 Available with a face-piece, hood, helmet, or suit, continuous flow
regulators provide a continuous flow of air, which maintains a positive pressure within the respirator, thus preventing inward
contaminant leakage.
2) The maximum length of hose allowed from a compressor or air fitting to the respirator shall be 300 feet.
c) Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs)
1) Consist of a face-piece, helmet, or hood; a breathing tube; and a source of air or oxygen all of which is carried by the wearer.
2) Two categories.
a) Closed-circuit (Rebreathing) SCBAs. Two types of closed circuit. In
both types carbon dioxide in exhaled breath is removed prior to rebreathing. The difference between the two is the source of oxygen.
(1 1st type: Oxygen is provided by either high-pressure gaseous
oxygen or gaseous oxygen converted from liquid oxygen. Or
(2 2nd type: Example “OBA” in where the water vapor in the exhaled breath reacts with a chemical in the canister to release oxygen.
(3 OBAs must not be used in flammable atmospheres due to the heat
generated by the canister.
b) Open-circuit SCBAs -Exhaled air is expelled to the atmosphere and air
is provided to the user from a compressed air cylinder. Types
available:
(1 Demand (negative face-piece pressure)
(2 Pressure-demand (positive face piece pressure).
(3 Emergency Escape Devices
(4 Emergency Escape Breathing Device (EEBD).
(a Developed specifically for the Navy for emergency escape
from shipboard fires.
(b They have a very short duration air supply and MUST NEVER BE USED FOR ENTRY INTO A HAZARDOUS ATMOSPHERE.
(c THEY ARE FOR ESCAPE ONLY! They have a very short duration air supply and MUST NEVER BE USED FOR ENTRY INTO A HAZARDOUS ATMOSPHERE; THEY ARE FOR ESCAPE ONLY!
DESCRIBE the care of respirators. (Reference Navy Occupational Safety and Health
(NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat, OPNAVINST 5100.19 Series).
a. Cleaning and Sanitizing Respirators
(1) Remove and discard all used cartridges and filters.
(2) Disassemble and hand wash the face piece and parts in a warm water and mild
dishwashing detergent solution.
(a) Strong cleaning agents can damage respirator parts.
(b) Temperatures above 43°C (110°F) should be avoided.
(3) Sanitize the face piece:
(a) Immerse the face piece for 2 minutes in a 50 ppm solution of iodine (add 15 ml of iodine solution to 1.5 liter of water).
(b) Rinse in clean warm water at a temperature of about 100°F. Temperatures above 43°C (110°F) should be avoided.
(c) Air dry in a clean uncontaminated area in such a way as to prevent distortion of the face piece.
(4) Reassemble and re-inspect respirator.
b. Storage of Respirators
(1) Place respirator in a clean plastic bag or other container and seal.
(2) Zip-lock plastic bags are preferred.
(3) Ensure the respirator is completely dry before sealing to prevent mildew.
(4) Store flat in a clean, dry, uncontaminated area without crowding which may distort the respirator face piece.
c. Repair and Maintenance of Respirators
(1) Personnel shall not service/repair any respirators unless they have been trained.
(2) No work shall be performed on reducing valves, regulators or alarms of atmospheresupplying respirators:
(3) These items shall be returned to the manufacturer for all repairs and adjustments.
DESCRIBE the requirement for respiratory fit testing. (Reference Navy Occupational
Safety and Health (NAVOSH) Program Manual for Forces Afloat, OPNAVINST 5100.19
Series).
a. Requirements for Fit Testing Respirators:
(1) Each individual who is required to use a respirator shall be qualitatively or
quantitatively fit tested prior to being issued a respirator. Annually there-after.**
(2) The fit-test must be performed while the test subject is wearing any applicable safety
equipment that may be worn during actual respirator, which could interfere with
respirator fit.
(3) Authorized “Fit Testers”
(a) Fit testing can be conducted aboard all ships having s person trained as outline in
chapter B0612
(4) Qualitative Fit Testing.
(a) Qualitative fit testing may be performed by using Isoamyl acetate (banana oil),
Saccharin mist, and Irritant smoke. (Preferred Method)
(5) Quantitative Fit Testing.
(a) This type of fit testing can only be performed by shore activities.
