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Developing a Performance Standard for Combination Unit Respirators Workshop in Brief (2015) / Chapter Skim
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Developing a Performance Standard forCombination Unit Respirators - Workshop in Brief
Pages 1-8

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From page 1...
... .2 Maryann D'Alessandro, Chris Coffey, and Colleen Miller, NPPTL, provided the background and context for the study, including an overview of combination unit respirators. They noted that the types of respirators that can be part of a combination unit respirator include • open circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
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From page 2...
... These respirators also have some industrial uses and potential for use in emergency response, as noted by the user groups and manufacturers present at the workshop. Combination unit respirators offer unique capabilities that have tactical benefits in law enforcement and military operations, such as controlling the noise of the respirator and conserving available supplied air, noted Neil Coward, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
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From page 3...
... Perspectives of Combination Unit Respirator Manufacturers Manufacturers of combination unit respirators present at the workshop noted that their primary customers are military, law enforcement, and special forces operations teams. Lynn Feiner, Honeywell Safety Products, stated that Honeywell also sells combination unit respirators for industrial uses, including environmental remediation such as abrasive blasting and emergency escape.
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From page 4...
... certification regulations • Flexibility of regulations to allow for innovation and developing technologies • Length of time required to establish new regulations and standards a Barbara DeBaun, Cynosure Health; Howard Cohen, Yale University; David Prezant, New York City Fire Department; and James Zeigler, J.P. Zeigler, LLC.
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From page 5...
... BOX 3 Standards and Regulatory Priorities Presented by Howard Cohen as the Facilitator of the Breakout Group Discussion • Require certification of combination unit respirators at assigned protection factor (APF) levels that reflect how the combination unit respirator is used in practice • Examine the requirements for the supplied air canisters for entry into areas immediately dangerous to life or health • Develop additional test requirements for combination unit respirators: - Verify the integrity of the interface and switching capabilities between respirator modes - Establish additional design or performance requirements to increase user awareness of the operating mode - Expand service life and flow rating specifications 5
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From page 6...
... In many tactical situations in which combination unit respirators would be used (e.g., military and law enforcement operations) , the hazard assessment process, leading to decisions about respirator mode switching, will be more dynamic and will be ongoing as environmental conditions change.
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From page 7...
... DenHartog raised the issue of behavioral research on risk perception and risk compensation for combination unit respirators, specifically the challenges surrounding the risk of workers going further into a hazardous setting because they have increased capacity for respiratory protection and an escape option. Further work is also needed to identify the specific performance requirements for the different user groups and respirator combinations, noted Zeigler.
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From page 8...
... ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We would like to thank the following speakers for sharing their expertise at the workshop: Brian Clifford, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chris Coffey, NPPTL; Neil Coward, LAPD; Maryann D'Alessandro, NPPTL; Heather Dannhardt, MSA Safety; James Donnelly, Warminster Township Police Department; Lynn Feiner, Honeywell Safety Products; Stephan Graham, U.S. Army Institute of Public Health; Jeffrey Kravitz, Mine Safety and Health Administration; Ken Lawson, Osen-Hunter Group Innovative Technologies; Colleen Miller, NPPTL; Robert Sutton, Scott Safety; Jon Szalajda, NPPTL; and James Wilcox, Avon Protection Systems.
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Key Terms

  • unit respirators
  • supplied air
  • unit respirator
  • respirator modes
  • performance requirements

  • hazard assessment
  • assigned protection
  • protection factor
  • law enforcement
  • david prezant

  • respiratory protection
  • occupational safety
  • howard cohen
  • barbara debaun
  • health administration

  • individual workshop
  • james zeigler
  • city fire
  • fire department
  • police department

  • combination respirator
  • fire protection
  • avon protection
  • national fire
  • protection association

  • respiratory protective
  • hazard assessments
  • air canisters
  • conformity assessment
  • national personal


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