After consulting potential users, the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) has launched an online tool for choosing respiratory protection against bioaerosols (toxins, bacteria, viruses, mould spores, etc.). Designed for industrial hygienists, physicians and health-care professionals, the tool uses a control-banding system developed by researchers at the IRSST and the Université de Montréal, working with an expert committee. It is a user-friendly way to select the appropriate respiratory protection for a workplace, based on the infectious or non-infectious bioaerosol hazards and workers’ exposure level.
Making the right choice can be a complex process, as there are no regulations setting out standards of exposure to bioaerosols. There are six steps to using the tool. The first is to select the workplace sector (health care, agriculture, municipal, industrial or other). In the following steps, the bioaerosol risk group, air quality control in the workplace and bioaerosol generation rates are combined to come up with an assigned protection factor (APF). The APF indicates the level of protection that a well-adjusted respirator in good condition should provide. Then the tool generates a list of respirators that match the APF.
“The tool, designed for people with minimum knowledge of industrial hygiene, has been greeted enthusiastically. All the potential users who tested it agreed: it’s easy to use and useful because it assists them in their preventive work. They especially liked the fact that it’s based on control banding and takes a customer-centred approach adapted to the workplace. The tool is a great example of building on knowledge derived from scientific research,” said IRSST researcher Jacques Lavoie.
Thirty case studies and additional information are provided, along with useful links, a Resources section and a FAQ.
The free tool is available to use at http://www.irsst.qc.ca/bioaerosol/accueil.aspx?l=en. To keep up with research being done at the IRSST, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube.
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Contact
Jacques Millette
Public Affairs Officer
IRSST