Where a specific respiratory recommendation is not available from Australian or New Zealand authorities, the use of respiratory protective equipment may be drawn from recognised international authorities or standardisation bodies such National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Where there is a existing respirator which meets the requirements of AS/NZS 1716 this should be used in the workplace. Step Three: Determine level of protection needed. If putting those controls into place is not feasible, choose respiratory protection that help bring exposures down to an acceptable level for workers. If your levels are above the limit, look to reduce exposures through engineering, or administrative controls. If your employee exposure levels are below the WES, then respirators aren’t legally required, though you may still want to offer respirators for voluntary use. Measurements may also be in the form of 15-minute short-term exposure limits (STEL) or a ceiling limit (C), which is the absolute limit that should never be exceeded at any time by a worker. For instance, both could be expressed in ppm for an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA). In any event, make sure both your measured concentrations and the levels to which you are comparing them (such as the WES) use the same units of measure. You can often use values set by other groups, such as the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) – if those values are lower than the WES. The results are typically measured in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per cubic meter of air (mg/m3), commonly averaged over an eight-hour work shift.Ĭompare your exposure levels to the workplace exposure standard (WES) set by Worksafe New Zealand, to determine if action is required. The exposure assessment should yield employee exposure levels for the substances you tested for.

3m gas mask respirator