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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3 Impact of the NIOSH PPT Program
3 Impact of the NIOSH PPT Program
Pages 81-100
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From page 81... ...
Additionally, because the use of PPT is an individual-based measure, with effectiveness determined in large part by user decisions and quality of the fit, there can be wide variation in the apparent effectiveness of PPT products in preventing illness or injury. The many types of PPT products (e.g., respirators, protective clothing, hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, shoes, helmets, fall protection)
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From page 82... ...
The short duration of time since the inception of the PPT Program is a key external factor. Respirator certification has been conducted at NIOSH since 1972, and research and standards-setting efforts were occurring in other NIOSH divisions before being transferred to the National Personal Protective Technology Labora tory (NPPTL)
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From page 83... ...
The authors attribute the lack of impact of long-term smoke exposure to increased use of PPT and to personnel selection factors. In a study of New York firefighters, researchers found that individuals who did not wear protective respiratory equipment had statistically significant decrements in acute pulmonary function (Brandt-Rauf et al., 1989)
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From page 84... ...
The major intermediate outcomes of the PPT Program are increases in the number of certified respirators, development and implementation of federal regulations and consensus standards, steps forward in increasing scientific knowledge regarding protection from inhalation hazards, and collaborations with other organizations and agencies. Respirator Certification Certified products The most significant outcome of the respirator certification program is an increase in the inventory of efficacious and reliable respirators for protection of workers from inhalation hazards.
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From page 85... ...
Efforts have also been made by the PPT Program to provide a central online information resource site to respirator manufacturers with links to the certification application procedures, standard test procedures, Certified Equipment List, archives of letters to manufacturers, and respirator user notices (NIOSH, 2008c)
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From page 86... ...
The PPT Program's work in the promulgation of CBRN regulations for respi rator certification has had considerable impact on ensuring that these highly spe cialized respirators meet specific criteria to offer effective protection to emergency workers and others with the potential for exposure. The Department of Homeland Security and the IAB have adopted the NIOSH CBRN respirator standards (IAB, 2007)
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From page 87... ...
The science that drives those advances is associated largely with the amount of resources devoted to the enterprise as well as the amount of time in which the PPT Program has been able to focus on the topic. For example, the contributions to scientific knowledge of the high-priority, decade-old program to develop CBRN respirator standards has clearly placed the PPT Program in a leadership role, and this leadership has played out in leading-edge contributions to national and international standards-development organizations.
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From page 88... ...
NIOSH and the DuPont Occupational Safety and Health Consortium have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on work to examine test methods regarding the performance of protective cloth ing and respirators exposed to nanoparticles.
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From page 89... ...
. Early on, it was determined that the CBRN respirator standards development effort would also involve NFPA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
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From page 90... ...
Committee's Comments on Impact on Occupational Safety and Health As noted above, the NIOSH respirator certification program impacts worker safety by ensuring a reliable inventory of respirators for protection against re spiratory hazards. Respirator manufacturers depend on NIOSH certification to independently evaluate the performance and quality of the products that they sell to employers.
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From page 91... ...
Goal 2: Reduce Exposures to Dermal Hazards Although the NIOSH PPT Program does not certify PPT related to dermal exposures, intermediate outcomes of relevance include increases in scientific knowledge, technology transfer, and development of consensus standards. Scientific Knowledge and Technology Transfer The dermal component of PPT research at NIOSH is a relatively new addition to the portfolio and one that receives limited amounts of funding (approximately $765,000 in FY 2007; NIOSH, 2007a)
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From page 92... ...
. Consensus Standards The PPT Program has made significant contributions to furthering standards relevant to protective clothing and other dermal protection.
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From page 93... ...
2007 PPT Program Physiological Protocol approved as an ASTM International standard practice for physiological evaluation of protective ensembles based on research conducted in the PPT Program laboratory 2007 ASTM F2588-06 Standard Test Method for Man-in-Simulant Test for Protective Ensembles 2007 NFPA 1951, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Technical Rescue Operations (2007 Edition) 2007 NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting (2007 Edition)
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From page 94... ...
One of the outcomes of the PPT Program's decontamination research is a contribution to the content of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) guideline Decontamination of Chemical Protective Clothing and Equipment (AIHA, 2005)
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From page 95... ...
. PPT Program staff participated on the NFPA technical committee that revised the performance requirements.
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From page 96... ...
In its draft form, the plan calls for the following: • A management framework that will closely align program mission, goals, and objectives with surveillance activities • A focus on PPT use and nonuse; defects, recalls, claims, and com plaints; and information about injuries, illnesses, and deaths related to improper PPT design or use • An ongoing nationwide PPT survey conducted in each of the eight National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) industry sectors, with one to three sectors (depending on size)
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From page 97... ...
The PPT Program also took a leadership role in developing and expediting federal regulatory standards for CBRN respirators. This effort involved extensive collaboration with multiple federal agencies, manufacturers, and professional associations (see Chapter 2)
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From page 98... ...
On the basis of its review of the PPT Program's work in research, respirator certification, and policy and standards setting, the committee has assigned the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program a score of 4 for impact. This score, according to the scoring criteria outlined by the framework committee, reflects the judgment that the PPT Program has made probable contributions to end outcomes in addition to well-accepted intermediate outcomes (see Box 3-1 and Appendix A)
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From page 99... ...
2005. Guidelines for the decontamination of chemical protective clothing and equipment.
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From page 100... ...
2007a. NIOSH personal protective technology program: Evidence for the National Acad emies committee to review the NIOSH personal protective technology program.
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