HP Clemco 60, Clemco O.M. 10533 manual Exposure to dangerous levels of lead or other

APOLLO 60 HP SUPPLIED-AIR RESPIRATOR Page 2

! WARNING

“Warning” is used to indicate a potentially haz- ardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.

! DANGER

“Danger” is used to indicate an imminently haz- ardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.

1.3Respiratory and Health Alerts

!WARNING TOXIC DUST POISONING

Research by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has discovered potential risks of lead and other heavy metal poisoning to unprotected abrasive blasting operators and other personnel who may be exposed to toxic dust in the abrasive blasting vicinity. Toxic dust is pro- duced primarily by the removal and breakdown of lead or other heavy metal coatings during abra- sive blasting.

The breakdown of toxic coatings and hazardous abrasive causes the contaminants to become airborne. Breathing toxic dust from lead or other heavy metal coatings may cause health and life threatening toxic poisoning and can damage vital organs. Breathing hazardous dust produced from silica abrasive may cause delayed life threaten- ing respiratory disease such as silicosis.

Lead is one of several toxic dusts that may be present in an abrasive blasting operation. It is imperative that blasting contractors identify all material being removed by blasting, and obtain material safety data sheets (MSDS) for the blast- ing abrasive prior to blasting. It is the responsibil- ity of the employer to identify all airborne con- taminants in the blast vicinity, and ensure they do not exceed the permissible exposure limit (PEL) Ref. 29 CFR 1910.1000 and 29 CFR 1926.62. Thor- ough examinations should be made by an indus- trial hygienist or other qualified professional to identify all contaminants generated by blasting and in the blasting vicinity.

Exposure to dangerous levels of lead or other

toxic or hazardous dust is not restricted to blast operators. There may be an equal or greater danger after the blasting process due to lingering airborne dust particles, and especially from dust generated during cleanup activity. Heavy metal paint, asbestos, sand or other silica, and other toxic material dusts will cause serious lung dis- ease or death without the use of properly de- signed, and maintained NIOSH-approved, sup- plied-air respirator equipment by blasting opera- tors and all personnel within the work site area. Lead poisoning can cause death. OSHA has stated that the permissible exposure limit of lead is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (50 μg/m3), averaged over an 8-hour workday.

The Apollo supplied-air respirator system is ap- proved by NIOSH as a Type-CE, continuous-flow, abrasive blast, supplied-air respirator, in accor- dance with title 42 CFR Part 84. The NIOSH recog- nized assigned protection factor (APF) for any supplied-air respirator equipped with a loose- fitting hood or helmet and operated in a continu- ous flow mode is 25, based upon the NIOSH Respirator Decision Logic (Pub. No. 87-108). In other words, any Type-CE respirator should be used only in atmospheres in which the contami- nant level does not exceed 25 times the permis- sible exposure limit. However, in its Memoran- dum for Regional Administrators dated August 30, 1995, OSHA has stated that select individual Type-CE continuous-flow, abrasive blast, sup- plied-air respirator models that pass stringent tests conducted by independent third party test- ing laboratories will be granted APF values higher than the NIOSH recognized 25. Clemco contracted with Los Alamos National Laboratory to conduct the independent testing. Based upon the results of these tests, OSHA will treat the Apollo Sup- plied-Air Respirator (NIOSH Approval TC-19C-

130)as having an APF of 1000 times the permis- sible exposure limit, or 50,000 μg/m3 when used in lead removal applications.

The employer must provide and maintain appro- priate approved respirators, in addition to provid- ing operator training and employing required work site safety practices.

To avoid any potential danger of respiratory in- jury, approved, supplied-air respirators must be worn at all times in the presence of any type of dust. The respirator must be maintained as de- scribed herein. Improper use of any respirator may cause life threatening respiratory disease, and immediate poisoning from toxic dust. Respi- rators should be removed only after the ambient air has been tested with a dust monitor, and found to be safe to breathe.

Toxic dust poisoning may also occur by eating, drinking, or smoking in a contaminated area, or by eating, drinking, or smoking in a non-hazard- ous area before thorough washing of hands and face. Do not eat, drink or smoke in the blast area. Thoroughly wash hands and face to remove con- taminants before eating, drinking, or smoking outside the blast area.