The Personal Protective Technology Program at NIOSH Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2008) / Chapter Skim
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5 Recommendations for PPT Program Improvement
5 Recommendations for PPT Program Improvement
Pages 116-130
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From page 116... ...
As described in the preceding chapters, the committee believes that the NIOSH PPT Program has effectively identified and implemented high-priority research and standards-setting efforts and has been thorough and forward thinking in conducting the respirator certification process. Further, the committee finds that the PPT Program has made a substantive impact on improving worker safety and health by ensuring that NIOSH-certified respirators meet rigorous pre-specified criteria and by the formation of strong partnerships with other organizations and agencies working to develop rigorous PPT standards.
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From page 117... ...
The National Personal Protective Technology Program should • Oversee, coordinate, and where appropriate, conduct research across all types of occupational PPT and across all relevant occupations and workplaces; • Participate in policy development and standards setting across all types of occupational PPT; • Oversee all PPT certification in order to ensure a minimum uniform standard of protection and wearability. The National Program should collaborate with other relevant government agencies, private-sector organizations, and not-for-profit organizations to conduct an assess ment of the certification mechanisms needed to ensure the efficacy of all types of PPT; and • Promote the development, standards setting, and certification of ef fectively integrated PPT components and ensembles in which multiple types of PPT (e.g., eye protection, hearing protection, respirators)
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From page 118... ...
. The designation of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory as a laboratory, denotes the important function of research, but does not fully capture the scope of efforts that are needed to improve worker safety through personal protective technologies.
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From page 119... ...
. The National PPT Program, through a much broader focus, proportionately increased responsibilities, and more direct lines of coordinated oversight and responsibility would provide the needed impetus for an integrated approach to PPT that encompasses the entire range of protective equipment and technologies and the multiple interfaces between and among them.
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From page 120... ...
will necessitate a commitment to a broad scope of work and collaborative efforts that will impact workers in all occupations that use personal protective technologies. ESTABLISH PPT RESEARCH CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE Recommendation 2: Establish PPT Research Centers of Excellence and Increase Extramural PPT Research The PPT Program should establish and sustain extramural PPT centers of excellence and work to increase other extramural research opportunities.
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From page 121... ...
Research centers of excellence allow for interdisciplinary expertise and improved ability to evaluate interventions such as new technologies, while facilitating strong collaborations. Increased intramural research resources and personnel, extramural grants, cooperative agreements, and direct contracts should be balanced to leverage PPT capabilities.
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From page 122... ...
As a part of that effort, NIOSH should revise the respirator certification fee schedules so that certification fees paid by respirator manufacturers fully cover the cost of certification. NIOSH's research budget for PPT research should not be eroded by the costs of certification.
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From page 123... ...
The committee believes that although the enhancements to the certification program recommended above will require additional resources, the dividends that will accrue to workers from improved standards, audits, and information dissemination will make such an investment sustainable and well worth the start-up costs. Improving respirators, and thereby reducing exposures to respiratory hazards, is in large part an effort focused on updating, refining, and developing the tests and performance criteria that respirators must meet to provide effective protection in the workplace.
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From page 124... ...
. Recent changes to the regulations have allowed NIOSH to significantly increase the CBRN respirator certification fee schedule because of the high costs of the live agent testing that is required. However, only a small percentage of CBRN fees are remitted to NIOSH.
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From page 125... ...
resulting from wearing PPT in the work environment. The PPT Program is moving forward in its work with the National Fire Protection Association and other partners in addressing these issues, particularly as they relate to physiologic burdens for emergency responders and firefighters.
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From page 126... ...
and across relevant in dustry sectors and workplace environments; • Require random periodic field testing of an adequately sized sample of PPT to assess effectiveness, usability, and durability with reasonable accuracy and precision; and • Build on existing government and private-sector surveys and surveil lance activities that collect PPT-relevant data and facilitate linkages to other datasets. Improvements in PPT will be driven both by efficacy data generated in the laboratory and effectiveness data gathered with equal scientific rigor in the work place.
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From page 127... ...
For other types of PPT that do not currently undergo a certification process by NIOSH, combined laboratory and field testing overseen by the PPT Program are necessary logical and scientific prerequisites to declaring PPT components and ensembles effective in the workplace. Along the continuum of the life-cycle approach, decontamination, serviceability, and reusability issues need to be considered (IOM, 2006, 2008)
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From page 128... ...
A sector-by-sector approach to surveying hazards and personal protective practices may be more efficient, cost-effective, and manageable than a large-scale survey of all workplaces. Although the proposed National PPT Program need not carry out all surveillance across all work sectors, consistent with the committee's prior recommendations on research, certification, and standards setting, it should have oversight responsibilities to ensure that the surveillance methods are coordinated and focused on relevant PPT issues.
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From page 129... ...
2008. Preparing for an influenza pandemic: Personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
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