National Academies Press: OpenBook

Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety (2011)

Chapter: Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings

« Previous: 7 Toward a Comprehensive Approach to Safe and Effective PPT for Workers
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

A
Agendas of Public Meetings

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE

Board on Health Sciences Policy


COMMITTEE ON THE CERTIFICATION* OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES


The National Academies

Keck Center

Room 109

500 Fifth Street, NW

Washington, DC


AGENDA


Open Session

Thursday, January 28, 2010

10:30 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

 

Howard J. Cohen, Committee Chair

 

Sponsor’s Charge to the Committee and Background Information

*

Certification is defined broadly to encompass the entire conformity assessment process. The workshop and study are focused on non-respiratory personal protective technologies.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

Maryann D’Alessandro, Associate Director for Science, NPPTL, NIOSH

Les Boord, Director, NPPTL, NIOSH

 

Discussion

12:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Context for the Study

 

1:00–1:45

Overview of Product Conformity Assessment and Examples of Various Approaches to Certification

Gordon Gillerman, NIST

 

 

Discussion

 

1:45–2:30

ASTM International—Certification Program

Tim Brooke, ASTM

 

 

Discussion

 

2:30–2:45

Break

 

2:45–3:30

Certification of Personal Flotation Devices

Samuel E. Wehr, Independent Consultant

 

 

Discussion

3:30 p.m.

Adjourn Open Session

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

COMMITTEE ON THE CERTIFICATION* OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES


WORKSHOP


The National Academies

Keck Center

Room 100

500 Fifth Street, NW

Washington, DC


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Howard J. Cohen, Committee Chair

8:10 a.m.

Overview and Terminology

Gordon Gillerman, National Institute of Standards and Technology

8:30 a.m.

Session 1: Current Certification Efforts in PPT: Firefighter Ensembles

 

Facilitator: Roger L. Barker

 

8:30–8:40

Overview of the Process

 

 

Roger L. Barker

 

8:40–8:50

Richard M. Duffy, International Association of Fire Fighters

 

8:50–9:00

Diane Haithcock, Underwriters Laboratories

 

9:00–9:10

Eric Beck, MSA, Inc.

 

9:10–9:30

Discussion with the Committee

 

Questions:

  • Overview of the conformity assessment process for firefighter protective equipment: Who sets the standards? What products or materials are tested? Who does the testing? Who accredits the testing labs? Who provides the certification?

  • Why was this process developed? What is or should be the role of government in the

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

certification process? What factors were considered in establishing the process as a third-party testing process?

 

  • What is the typical time line? What is the typical fee structure? What is the duration of validity of the certification? What post-marketing surveillance activities are conducted? What production oversight procedures are in place? How are mislabeling or other false assertions of certification addressed?

  • What are the incentives or barriers to assessing and asserting conformity?

  • What are the challenges regarding innovation, interfaces among PPT components, etc.? What needs to be done to improve the conformity assessment process? What value is added by having a conformity assessment/certification process in place? Are data available on how certification of firefighter ensembles impacts firefighter safety and health?

9:30 a.m.

Session 2: Current Conformity Assessment Efforts: Other Products

 

Facilitator: Melissa A. McDiarmid

 

9:30–9:45

Body Armor Safety Initiative

 

 

Lance Miller, National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center

 

9:45–10:00

EPA Noise Reduction Rating Program

 

 

Ken E. Feith, Environmental Protection Agency

 

10:00–10:15

Consumer Product Safety

 

 

J. Gibson Mullan, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

10:15–10:30

CBRN Ensembles for Law Enforcement

 

 

Debra Stoe, National Institute of Justice

 

10:30–11:00

Discussion with the Committee

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

Questions:

  • Overview of the certification/conformity assessment processes: Who sets standards? Who tests? Who accredits? Who provides the certification? What value is added by having a conformity assessment/certification process in place?

  • What is the role of government in the process? How were decisions made regarding the role of government?

  • What is the typical fee structure?

  • What is the duration of validity of the certification? What production oversight procedures are in place? What post-marketing surveillance activities are conducted? How are mislabeling or other errors in assertions of conformity assessment addressed?

  • What are the challenges regarding innovation? What are the incentives or barriers to assessing and asserting conformity? What needs to be done to improve the conformity assessment process? Are data available on how certification impacts worker or consumer safety?

11:00 a.m.

Session 3: Measuring the Impact of Certification on Worker Safety and Health

 

Facilitator: Barbara J. Burgel

 

11:00–11:15

Patricia A. Gleason, Safety Equipment Institute

 

11:15–11:30

Preston Anderson, Sperian Fall Protection, Inc.

 

11:30–11:45

Discussion with the Committee

 

Questions:

  • How do standards and conformity assessment/certification impact worker safety? What data are available?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

  • What value is added by having a certification/conformity assessment process in place?

11:45 a.m.

Lunch

12:30 p.m.

Session 4: Incentives and Barriers to Conformity Assessment and Certification

 

Facilitator: James S. Johnson

 

12:30–12:45

Ginny Fitzner, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA

Kevin Robinson, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories Program, OSHA

 

12:45–12:55

Louise Kuhny, Joint Commission (via phone)

 

12:55–1:05

Robin T. Scott, Sport Dimension, Inc.

 

1:05–1:15

Daniel K. Shipp, International Safety Equipment Association

 

1:15–1:45

Discussion with the Committee

 

Questions:

  • What drives the need for conformity assessment/certification? For government? For manufacturers? For consumers? How is the balance determined between being overly prescriptive and not prescriptive enough?

  • What issues do regulatory or accrediting organizations consider in stipulating the need for products to meet specific standards or certification requirements?

  • What is the value of certification in terms of patient safety and worker safety? Does the Joint Commission provide feedback or incentive to healthcare facilities that choose to purchase certified equipment? Does the Joint Commission have any PPT standards related to healthcare worker safety?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

  • What are the relative costs of various certification mechanisms to the final product and what are the differences in manufacturing to meet different certification requirements globally?

  • How does a manufacturer decide if it is worth investing in third-party testing or certification or if a new product is worth bringing to market if certification is required?

1:45 p.m.

Session 5: Risk-Based Approaches to Conformity Assessment

 

Facilitator: Anugrah Shaw

 

1:45–2:00

Gordon Gillerman, National Institute of Standards and Technology

 

2:00–2:15

Markham C. Luke, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA

 

2:15–2:45

Discussion with the Committee

 

Questions:

  • What risk-based approaches have been used to develop current conformity assessment processes?

  • Should the development of a conformity assessment process take into account the effectiveness of recalls in the product category or consider the likelihood that the user can effectively determine the quality and suitability of the product for the intended use?

  • What current process is used at the FDA to assess the level of risk of a medical device and make determinations about the device class and whether the 510(k) process is required? Are medical device determinations predominantly based on risk to the patient or the healthcare worker or both? What are the current post-marketing surveillance efforts for device safety? Are any medical devices required to go through third-party testing prior to FDA clearance? How

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

are devices (e.g., gowns) regulated that are sold without having gone through the FDA medical device clearance process?

2:45 p.m.

Session 6: Case Study: Healthcare Worker Gloves

 

Facilitator: Alexander Isakov

 

2:45–3:00

Terrell Cunningham, Food and Drug Administration

 

3:00–3:15

Michael S. Zedalis, Ansell Healthcare, LLC

 

3:15–3:30

David Hermann, Aspen Healthcare Metrics

 

3:30–3:45

Sharon Welbel, Cook County Health and Hospitals System

 

3:45–4:15

Discussion with the Committee

 

Questions:

  • What is the current FDA process and what standards are required to be met for FDA 510(k) clearance?

  • Should a more in-depth conformity assessment process be implemented for gloves used in health care? If so, what type of process? If not, why?

  • Are there adequate performance standards in place to test various types of gloves to see if they would meet certification requirements? If not, what is needed?

  • What are the reasons why third-party testing and certification efforts have not been developed to date?

  • What incentives and barriers would there be for implementing a more in-depth certification/conformity assessment process?

  • What risk-based approaches could be used to determine the type of conformity assessment processes needed for the various types of gloves?

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

 

  • What factors go into the decision to purchase? Would a third-party certification process make a difference in purchasing decisions?

4:15 p.m.

Public Comment—Registered Speakers

 

Moderator: Howard J. Cohen

5:00 p.m.

Adjourn

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 127
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 128
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 129
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 130
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 131
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 132
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 133
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 134
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 135
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Agendas of Public Meetings." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12962.
×
Page 136
Next: Appendix B: Workshop Participants »
Certifying Personal Protective Technologies: Improving Worker Safety Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $59.00 Buy Ebook | $47.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

When you purchase a product, you expect it to work. Construction workers on high-rise buildings need to be confident that their safety harnesses will arrest a fall. Firefighters need to know that their gloves and other protective equipment can withstand high temperatures. Healthcare workers administering highly toxic chemotherapy agents need to know that their gloves will withstand penetration. For personal protective technologies (PPT)—where the major purpose of the product is to protect the wearer against a hazard—a deficit in product effectiveness can mean injury, illness, or death. Examining the extent to which products meet specific performance or design criteria is the focus of conformity assessment efforts. For PPT conformity assessment, the ultimate goal is preventing worker illness, injury, or death from hazardous working conditions.

Certifying Personal Protective Technologies focuses on conformity assessment for occupational PPT—ensuring that PPT are effective in preventing or reducing hazardous exposures or situations that workers face in their jobs. Because respirators already have an extensive testing and conformity assessment process in place, this book specifically addresses conformity assessment processes for other types of PPT, including eye and face protection, gloves, hearing protectors, and protective clothing.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!