Take a deep breath – BSIF gets serious about respiratory protection
May 1st 2009 Inadequate and poorly fitting RPE has been a cause for concern for some time, which is why a new accreditation scheme and awareness campaign from the BSIF and HSE is targeting this issue,explains BSIF secretary general Geoff Hooke
There is a fine line between recognising that serious weaknesses exist within the current health and safety framework and addressing them sensibly, and the crackbrain decisions made by some people in authority which are rightly ridiculed by the mass media. Where respiratory hazards exist there is no room for cynicism as they will almost always cause a degree of ill health and often result in death or serious, irreparable harm if adequate protection is not selected, deployed and used correctly.
Facts and figures
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and BSIF have been concerned about inadequacies with respiratory protection for some time. Recent researches indicate that there are approximately 5.5 million employees in some 220,000 workplaces that are potentially at risk of respiratory disease with some 2.6 million employees already using RPE. A recent BSIF survey of SMEs in industry sectors where respiratory protection would be essential, such as stone-masonry, bakery, metal fabrication, auto crash repairs, etc., showed that some 53% recognised the need for respiratory protection and, of those, approximately three-quarters had installed some form of extraction system. Nevertheless, 98% still provided staff with RPE.
Extrapolations from the HSE's figures suggest that as little as £95 per person per year is spent on RPE. The BSIF research suggests a lower figure, £45 per person per year, equivalent to only 25 of the cheapest disposable masks.
While the scope of these statistics is less than ideal, clear conclusions can be drawn. Some 47% of workplaces in industries that would likely need respiratory protection do not have it. Even if this figure is wrong by a factor of five, it is apparent that many users of respiratory protection either do not know how to manage their protection programmes or are purely paying lip-service to the need to protect their workers.
RIDDOR reports can only provide a top-slice indication as there is no need to report any incident or injury that results in less than three days sickness absence. The RIDDOR analysis can be enhanced by a summary of the improvement and prohibition notices filed by HSE and Local Authority inspectors carrying out field-visits.
With all this information, it is abundantly clear that a significant number of organisations do not recognise or understand the need for respiratory protection, are ignorant of what RPE they should select, do not train their staff in the use and maintenance of this equipment, approach fit-testing as they would for clothing without any thought of the essential need for an adequate face-fit and are woefully inept at ensuring that staff use it correctly.
The Next Step
The BSIF Fit2Fit accreditation scheme has been developed in collaboration with industry and the HSE. It will be overseen by an independent governing board and administered by the BSIF. HSE guidance on fit-testing will include citation to this scheme.
Employers will be doing enough to demonstrate good practice by using accredited Fit2Fit personnel when fit-testing their employees with respiratory protection. Further initiatives are now being developed to publicise the scheme widely among manufacturers, health and safety professionals, fit-test providers, and employees using respiratory protection.
Alongside the launch of this scheme will be the broadly based awareness programme to improve knowledge and understanding of respiratory protection, the "Clean Air? - Take Care!"campaign. This joint HSE - BSIF initiative, is focused towards users of RPE or organisations that should consider whether the need to deploy RPE to protect their staff.
Bob Rajan, from the HSE, explains the importance of this partnership and the initiatives: “There is no doubt that there are excellent quality RPE designs available in the UK with appropriate guidance for correct selection, use and maintenance. However, compliance with good practice is obviously falling short and too many employees have unnecessary inhalation exposure to hazardous substances which can ultimately lead to respiratory diseases.
“The HSE will be undertaking research over the coming months to help us to establish the behaviour related factors, which are contributing to RPE failures among both employers and employees. Ultimately, we need to get across the message that incorrectly selected, sized and poorly fitted RPE defeats the object of wearing it. We welcome the BSIF Fit2Fit accreditation scheme, which directly addresses the competency issues associated with RPE fit testing.
“Working with key safety organisations will ensure the message is cast as widely as possible. The branded awareness campaign, ‘Clean Air? Take Care’, developed in conjunction with the BSIF, is a prime example, by helping improve knowledge and understanding of respiratory protection across all the relevant industries”.
For more information on respiratory protection, how you can obtain accreditation within the Fit2Fit scheme or participate in the "Clean Air? - Take Care!" campaign, please contact the BSIF. More articles from BSIF Enterprise: | 
