The choice of face protection and which face protection to choose depends entirely on the circumstances and environment in which you are located. to reduce the risk of spreading virus through your exhaled air. In order to know which face protection you need, it is important to find out which substances, particles and safety classes are needed for the work you will be doing.
If there is a risk that the oxygen content falls below 19%, compressed air-fed breathing protection should be used. When there is a risk of lack of oxygen, filter equipment must not be used. It is important to know which substances and what concentration of substances are present in your environment to choose respiratory protection. If there is a risk of an explosion, explosion-proof equipment must be used.
For the face mask to work most effectively, it should cover your mouth and nose. Face masks protection reduces the risk of spreading virus if you are ill. If you are healthy and wear a face mask, this is no guarantee that you yourself will not be infected as face masks do not filter the air as effectively as other alternatives.
Mouth protection also protects your airways and lungs if you renovate at home and want to avoid dust and if a fire should occur in your neighborhood. Depending on which safety class the face masks has, the smaller or more particles it stops. The face mask is discarded after use.
Filtering half masks are great for environments where you want to avoid particles and dust. The half-mask filter protects your lungs from harmful particles. The mask should cover your nose, mouth and chin when used.
It is important that the fit fits well as the mask works optimally when it closes tightly. Be sure to read the description of each product when discarding the mask.
The half mask is not discarded after use, but here you change filters. How long a filter should be used is read on the instructions of each product. The half mask has filters that filter the air upon entering and exhaling for maximum protection.
The half mask should cover the nose, mouth and chin. In some cases, the inhalation air may also come from a breathing apparatus.
The full face mask is in many ways similar to the half mask. The air supply is obtained in the same way as a half-mask and the full face mask in addition to covering the nose, mouth and chin, also covers the eyes. The filter on the full face mask is replaced according to the instructions for the product and the mask fits well to protect against vapors and gases that can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.
Europe has standardized protection classes for face protection. The protection classes refer to how many percent they block out particles in your environment. The more particles these protectors block out, the higher their safety rating. In Europe, the security classes are called FFP and we review them briefly below.
FFP1 = Filters 80% of the particles. Used mainly in the food industry and construction industry.
FFP2 = Filters 94% of the particles. Protects against particles that can irritate our airways and infect. However, for infection, FFP3 is recommended.
FFP3 = Filters 99% of the particles. Used primarily in health care.
R = Face protection can be reused.
NR = Face protection can only be used once and should be discarded after use.
D = The filter does not clog quickly and meets clogging resistance requirements.
Respiratory protection works optimally when you know what substances there are in your environment so you can choose the right type of filter. Depending on whether it is dust, gas, steam or perhaps a combination of all, different types of filters are need
Particle filter
If you stay or work in environments where dust and aerosols occur, you need a particle filter. The particle filters are marked with P and white color code and are available in three protection classes
It is important to remember that the denser a filter, the heavier it becomes to breathe. You can advantageously use fan-fed respirators if you feel it is heavy to breathe.
Gas Filter
Gas filters are used when staying in an environment where health hazardous vapors are present. In order to choose the right gas filter you need to know which substances are present in your environment. Below you will find a table that gives an overview of different types of gas filters.
|
Designation |
Protects against |
Color code |
|
A |
Organic gases with boiling point above 65 degrees Celsius. |
Brown |
|
AX |
Organic gases with boiling point below 65 degrees Celsius. |
Brown |
|
B |
Inorganic gases |
Grey |
|
E |
Sulfur dioxide or other acid gases |
Yellow |
|
K |
Ammonia |
Green |
|
SX |
Special substances |
Violet |
|
NO-P3 |
Nitrous gases (nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide) |
Blue-white |
|
Hg-P3 |
Mercury vapor |
Red-white |
Combination filter
Combination filters are used in environments where both particles and gas occur simultaneously. The face protection then consists of several filters where a filter protects against particles and a filter protects against gas.
Choose the appropriate gas filter according to the safety class you need and combine it with a gas filter suitable for the environment in which you are staying.
3M erbjuder ett brett sortiment av personlig skyddsutrustning som gör din arbetsplats och dina anställda säkrare. I vårt sortiment av 3M produkter hittar du skyddsprodukter för hörsel, mun, huvud, ögon m.m.
Sundström Safety erbjuder produkter som skyddar människor ifrån förorenad luft. I deras sortiment hittar du flera praktiska och användarvänliga andningsskydd, masker och filter.
Forfatter: Tingstad
Senest opdateret: 2022-12-23
