PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) protect workers on the job, so, their condition and suitability needs to be checked before each use. Damaged PPE endanger the life and health of workers. Legislation has, therefore, provided guidelines and standards for the maintenance of PPE through periodic checking and/or parts replacement.
For Europe, the information related to PPE checking and parts replacement is to be found in the EN 529/2006 standard, where important aspects such as the selection, use and maintenance of PPE for respiratory protection are addressed. The aim of the standard is to prevent the respiratory diseases to which workers who do not use PPE manufactured according to current standards are more exposed. To ensure worker safety the employer is not only required to provide the specified PPE but also to perform the necessary maintenance.
How should maintenance on PPE be carried out?
To verify that the PPE technical characteristics have not changed, visual inspection and testing can be carried out. Visual inspections are easy to perform and appropriate for non-complex PPE. If the outcome of the inspection is negative the PPE needs to be discarded and replaced with a new one. If the outcome is positive, the device can be handed to the worker.
PPE to be used for respiratory protection differ depending on the protection required and the risk that needs to be prevented as specified in the Risk Assessment Document. There are different types of PPE, some of which are disposable and can be used only once while others can be reused provided that maintenance has been carried out properly.
In addition to Respiratory Protective Equipment, Kasco supplies special spare parts kits which allow you to keep these important devices efficient at all times.
Sep 5 2016
Personal Protective Equipment – Respirator Checking and Maintenance
PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) protect workers on the job, so, their condition and suitability needs to be checked before each use. Damaged PPE endanger the life and health of workers. Legislation has, therefore, provided guidelines and standards for the maintenance of PPE through periodic checking and/or parts replacement.
For Europe, the information related to PPE checking and parts replacement is to be found in the EN 529/2006 standard, where important aspects such as the selection, use and maintenance of PPE for respiratory protection are addressed. The aim of the standard is to prevent the respiratory diseases to which workers who do not use PPE manufactured according to current standards are more exposed. To ensure worker safety the employer is not only required to provide the specified PPE but also to perform the necessary maintenance.
How should maintenance on PPE be carried out?
To verify that the PPE technical characteristics have not changed, visual inspection and testing can be carried out. Visual inspections are easy to perform and appropriate for non-complex PPE. If the outcome of the inspection is negative the PPE needs to be discarded and replaced with a new one. If the outcome is positive, the device can be handed to the worker.
PPE to be used for respiratory protection differ depending on the protection required and the risk that needs to be prevented as specified in the Risk Assessment Document. There are different types of PPE, some of which are disposable and can be used only once while others can be reused provided that maintenance has been carried out properly.
In addition to Respiratory Protective Equipment, Kasco supplies special spare parts kits which allow you to keep these important devices efficient at all times.
By Kasco Srl • Blog •