Face Masks Or Respirators - Which One Should You Go For?

Workplace safety is very essential as workers are usually surrounded with heavy-duty machines and hazardous materials. And one of the most significant parts of an individual body which can get irrevocably damaged is the face. While you can find safety glasses to protect our eyes and earplugs to protect our ears, there is definitely a debate over face mask and respirators - what type between these two items is better and should get used more often. But more than any physical injury, these face protectors tend to be more efficient in preventing harmful materials from entering the respiratory track. Whether it's minute dust particles or radioactive contamination - both these face protectors are effective in regards to fulfilling their duties to perfection. Let's take a quick trip to learn more on face masks and respirators, how different they are from one another, and what're the right approaches to dispose them. After all, you need to know what type is best suited to your requirements. What are Face Masks? Theses masks fit loosely over the nose and the mouth, and protect them from sprays and splashes. Not just do they prevent things from entering inside, they are also effective in stopping things from going outside. As an example, keeping droplets from spreading in the air once the wearer coughs or sneezes. However, face masks feature a disadvantage too. They fail to protect the wearer from inhaling small airborne particles due to the loose fit. Face masks are effective when utilized in small-scale medical and surgical purposes. What are Respirators? Respirators offer all the advantages that a breathing apparatus can offer. Along with that, the tighter fit of a respirator makes the wearer inhale the air which passes through its filter material. This filter is specially designed to trap small airborne particles and the wearer breathes in a solution air. Because of their effectiveness, they are widely preferred in both industrial and medical sectors. However, you'll need assurance that the respirator you are choosing is of the greatest quality. You'll need to look for the approval stamp from NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) on the respirator. A NIOSH-approved respirator could have the next info printed about it: NIOSH logo NIOSH testing and certification number Name of producer Compliant number, model number or part number Filter series and efficiency level NIOSH has nine forms of respirators - N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99 and P100. The amount indicates the percentage of particles the respirator can filter, and the letter shows the degree of oil resistance (N = not oil-resistant, R = medium oil-resistant, P = strong oil-resistant). It's pretty straightforward that P100 is the most powerful respirator. Conclusion What you may choose to use, make sure that you don't share it with anybody else. After getting overused, damaged or soiled, use it inside a plastic bag and throw it into the trash bin.