Montreal, April 3, 2003 - The French guide on the respiratory protective equipment used in Québec (regulatory guide) and its Web site have both been updated. The practical respiratory protection guide published at the end of 2002 has also been integrated into the site, thus ensuring abundant precise and current information for occupational health and safety professionals.
The practical guide, an essential complement
The practical respiratory protection guide is a complement to the Guide on the respiratory protective equipment used in Québec. It has been prepared at the request of the review committee for Schedule 1 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (RROHS) and contains the necessary information for choosing equipment, based on the type and level of risk of exposure to contaminants. A selection chart is presented, based on CSA Z94.4-93, Selection, Use and Care of Respirators, with the particulars of the Québec regulation. The process for equipment selection using the chart is explained in detail. Several examples of work situations as well as the different types of respiratory protective devices, their characteristics and operating limits, are also presented. Finally, the Guide contains some recommendations on equipment use and care, fit tests, and the respiratory protection program.
Improved www.prot.resp.csst.qc.ca
The www.prot.resp.csst.qc.ca site has also been completely updated. The first version was based on the regulatory guide published in 1999 and the database of equipment approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) up to September 1999. The new version of the site contains the October 2002 update of the regulatory guide with the database of the equipment approved by NIOSH up to March 2002. The site was also remodeled to make it easier to consult overall, orienting users in the choice of a respiratory protective device.
Jaime Lara, from the IRSST's Safety Engineering team, and his collaborator Mireille Vennes, wrote the guides, the result of several years of work on respiratory protection. The regulatory guide was updated by Jaime Lara and Julie McCabe, from the institute's Laboratory Services and Expertise team. The CSST is acting as publisher and distributor.
