o/t full face respirator ?

need one for work, want one that is easy to put on and comfortable,I will be wearing it 4 to 8 hours a day,company will be paying for it ,so cost is not a problem, it will be used for very fine powder,thanks for any help,

Check out MSA, Mine Safety Appratius. I have one for when things get really dusty. I wouldn't want to wear it for very long. It gets fogged up, water collects inside.

I also found at a farm auction 20 years ago a crash helmet with an air hose attached to a fan, battery pack and air filters. You pull on a string and it tightens up around your neck. This is the only thing I would want to wear for 8 hours. If I want to pick up dusty, dirty things with mower and bagger, I use the helmet. I wired it up to the 12v mower battery.

I think the farmer used to spray chemicals with.

i had an uncle who used one of these, not sure if it will work for your application....
here

If you need it for that many hours a day then they need to get you a full hood supplied air respirator. I believe they make self contained models along with the ones you hook up to air hose. They are basically a hood w/windshield that is pressurized slightly (adjustable) with clean cool air and fit isn't an issue and you can wear a beard and still use it. NO ONE should be asked to wear a full faced canister type resp. all day long. You won't do it for long.

You have to be careful with respiators. There isn't a simple solution, especially since you added that you will be working with fine dust. There are respirators that use replaceable cartridges that are calculated to typically last 8 hours under certain given, known conditions. However, if those conditions change, you might get more hours out of them, and just as easily less due to factors such as fine dust clogging the cartridges. Cartridges are and should typically be replaced every day, or shift. To be honest with you, IF your job requires you or others to wear such a safety device, there are standards that whomever you are working for should or must adhere to, if not for OSHA, but insurance reasons. The respirator and safety equipments must match the job. Its not like you can go to Lowes, Menards, Home Depot and grab something off of a shelf. As mentioned earlier, there are places that actually specialize in such safety equipment, but the safety equipment is taylored for the environment, conditions, and most importantly, the materials that you will be exposed to. Those are some elements to consider when making decisions on safety equipments. Be very careful.

Much good luck.

Mark

Several years ago, I picked up a filter mask at a freight liquidator sale. It was a nice, heavy unit with a filter on each side of the nose. Kinda reminded one of the photos of WWI of the "gas masks" they wore. I just needed something for working in dusty conditions. Half hours use and that was it! That blamed thing made you sweat anywhere it touched your face, and it was heavy! May have to do a Google search and find a place that sells dust masks, or dust control equipment.

Back in 1968 when I worked at a munitions plant, I had to wear a "supplied air" full-face respirator for 6-8 hours every day. I was working in the bottom of a Tetrachloroethylene vapor degreasing tank, degreasing the molds used for making JATO (Jet Assist Take-Off) rocket motors. It was cumbersome to have to drag that "supplied air" hose around wherever you went, but it sure saves the lungs.

If you get this type of system, run the hose from the mask under your arm & make one complete wrap around your waist and then clip the hose to the BACK of your belt. No way to accidently rip the mask off of your face.

Doc

The link to the 3M site oj posted has some good items. I would contact 3M company and see if they have a rep in your area that would stop by. They will be familiar with OSHA as well as seeing your actual application and can recommend the best options. I worked in manufacturing for 40 years and we had a rep close that stopped by on a regular basis to see if we needed any supplies as well as keeping us up on the OSHA side of things. Customer support is important.

I work in a Major oil company refinery. It is MANDATORY that the COMPANY supply ALL Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). You should NOT be having to shop for your own..OSHA is NOT a small town in Minnisota! In this case OSHA is your friend because they deem what is acceptable and the company should furnish EVERYBODY the SAME Brand, Type and STYLE and ALSO the Replacement cartridges that will be needed. It sounds like you are working for somebody that is trying to skirt the SAFETY LAWS set forth by OSHA. If you are needing a FULL FACE Respirator it also makes me think that you don't need a RESPIRATOR but a SUPPLIED Air mask also known as a SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apperatus). If that is what you really need then you may be attached to a long hose, if so the set up should also have a small (5 minute) Escape bottle on a belt worn around your waste. This is OSHA Regulation and is in case something goes wrong with supplied air you can disconnect hose and evacuate the area. hope this helps.

Speaking as a former Dept Sheriff, Firefighter, HazMat Specialist and Demolition, asbestos and lead contractor and now working in the oil development industry as a Saftey Manager this sounds a little odd to me. The employeer has to have a written Respiratory Protection Program. Including medical clearence, fit testing, maintaining it, training, what is a PEL, limitations on use , when are the filters/canister exhausted. It is easy to get in trouble, for instence wearing a purifying respirator in a oxygen deficient or Lower Explosive Limit environment. We put everyone that we give a APR through a 40 hour Hazwoper class and a 8 hr annual refresher. A lot of that covers repsiratory protection. Police and firefighters are not covered my OSHA, but those regulators copied the OSHA regs very closley.

Logan, just guessing you have had the 40 hour training and been doing this for a while. The only thing you said that I disagree with is that everyone has to be issued the same brand, type style. We have some guys that just cant get a good seal so they get a different brand. Also, if an employee wants a upgrade, say from a 1/2 face to a full face, or full face to a PAPR, the employeer shall provide...at no cost to the employee. Even if the PF of that standard issue APR meets PEL.