Respirator Repairs

Respirators that fail an inspection or are otherwise found to be defective must be removed from service to be discarded, repaired, or adjusted in accordance with the following procedures  

Repairs or adjustments to respirators must be made only by persons appropriately trained to perform such operations and shall use only the respirator manufacturer s NIOSH-approved parts designed for the respirator. 

Repairs must be made according to the manufacturer s recommendations and specifications for the type and extent of repairs to be performed. 

Reducing and admission valves, regulators, and alarms shall be adjusted or repaired only by the manufacturer oratechnician trained by the manufacturer. 

Respirators can be used effectively and safely if the mandates of the regulation found in 29 CFR 1910.134 are followed. Employers should be certain that their respirator program is working effectively if their intent is to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. 

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B. Maintenance—Respirators that do not pass inspection must be replaced or repaired prior to use. Respirator repairs are limited to the changing of canisters, cartridges, cylinders, filters, head straps, and those items as recommended by the manufacturer. No attempt should be made to replace components or make adjustments, modifications, or repairs beyond the manufacturer s recommendations. 

An employer has speeifie obligations to ensure all eontrol measures are kept in an effieient state, effieient working order and good repair. Engineering eontrols should be examined and tested at suitable intervals, e.g. loeal exhaust ventilation equipment must be tested at least onee every fourteen months, and more often for proeesses speeified in Table 5.23, and a reeord kept. Respirators and breathing apparatus must also be examined frequently and the eheeks reeorded. 

According to Section 1910.134(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards in Title 29 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, an acceptable respiratory program must be instigated whenever respiratory health hazards are present in the work environment. The employer must develop formal written operational procedures covering every aspect of the program, including, for example, how contaminants are controlled, how contaminant concentration is measured, and how respirators are selected, used, cleaned, inspected, repaired, and stored. 

This microbial sensor system is based on the inhibitory action of the mutagens on the respiration of B subtilis Rec . B subtilis M45 (Rec") is genetically deficient in the DNA recombination enzyme system, whereas B subtilis H17 (Rec+) is a wild strain which has the ability to repair damaged DNA. The subsequent death of Rec bacteria is preceded by the decrease of respiration. As a result, the number of Rec cells on the surface of the oxygen electrode decreased and the current of the Rec electrode increased. On the other hand, the damaged DNA of Rec+ bacteria is repaired with the recombination system. Therefore, the number of Rec+ cells did not change and the current of the Rec electrode did not increase. 

McElroy, M.C., and M. Kasper. 2004. The use of alveolar epithelial type I cell-selective markers to investigate lung injury and repair. Eur. Respir. J. 24 664-673. 

Respirator maintenance is especially important. Inspect your respirator before each use. Repair or replace it whenever any part shows sign of wear or deterioration. Maintain an inventory of replacement parts for the respirators you own, and do not try to use makeshift substitutes or incompatible brands. If you keep a respirator for standby or emergency use, inspect it at least monthly and before use. 

All five cells, even those that are not actively growing, require energy to maintain ion gradients across cell membranes and to replace proteins, membranes, and other constituents. Maintenance respiration provides the ATP for these maintenance and repair functions. Laboratory experiments... 

Nearly all ischemic events are modulated by temperature, and cerebroprotection from hypothermia is believed to increase resistance against multiple deleterious pathways including oxidative stress and inflammation [205-211]. Generally, most biological processes exhibit a of approximately 2.5, which means that a 1°C reduction in temperature reduces the rate of cellular respiration, oxygen demand, and carbon dioxide production by approximately 10% [212]. Reduced temperature also slows the rate of pathological processes such as lipid peroxidation, as well as the activity of certain cysteine or serine proteases. However, detoxification and repair processes are also slowed, so the net outcome may be complex. Hence, hypothermia appears to be an attractive therapy that targets multiple injury mechanisms. 

Wang H et al Cigarette smoke inhibits human bronchial epithelial cell repair processes. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2001 25(6) 772-779. [PMID 11726404] (Cigarette smoke contains numerous toxic compounds, inciuding acetaldehyde and acrolein.)... 

In cases of accidents or incidents, it is likely that a situation of increased exposure wiU occur. If this happens, the employer has the duty to inform the workers about this event. As long as the situation has not been restored, the number of workers has to be limited to those necessary to do repair work. All other persons who are not needed have to leave the work area. For those who stay within the endangered zone, the employer has to provide suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), such as suits or respirators, which have to be worn by the workers. Because the use of PPE itself can cause special risks to health, it is not permitted to use it longer than absolutely necessary. Of course, unprotected workers are not allowed to enter the zone of risk. 

An adequate maintenance program should also include a consideration of the auxiliary and safety equipment. Periodic inspections should be made of release diaphragms, safety equipment (fire-fighting equipment, gas detectors, alarm systems, flame detectors, respirators, etc.), ventilation systems, compressors, electrical equipment, etc. Detailed records should be kept of all inspections. These should show the condition of equipment, any malfunctions noted, and repairs made. All repairs should be inspected and approved by authorized personnel... 

Procedures for proper use of respirators in routine and emeigency situations Procedures and schedules for cleaning, disinfecting, storing, repairing, and otherwise maintaining respirators... 

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