When should I retire my equipment?

A product must be retired when:

• It is over 10 years old and made of plastic or textiles
• It has been subjected to a major fall or load
• It fails to pass inspection
• Its reliability is in question
• Its entire history is not known (e.g. found or second-hand product)
• When it becomes obsolete due to changes in legislation, standards, technique or incompatibility with other equipment, etc.

Source: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/FAQ/when-should-i-retire-my-equipment

• The Respirator's Seal

  A good fit means the respirator will seal to your skin. A respirator can only work when air passes through the filter. Air will take the path of least resistance, so if the seal isn’t there, the air will go around rather than through the respirator – and therefore lessen the protection.

• User Seal Check: An Essential Everyday Test

  Employees wearing tight-fitting respiratory protection should perform a seal check each time they put on their respirator. A fit test ensures that the respirator is able to fit and provide a secure seal, but a user seal check ensures that it’s being worn right each time.

  Users can either perform a positive-pressure or negative-pressure seal check:

  • A positive-pressure check means blocking the exhalation valve on a half or full facepiece respirator or covering the respirator surface on a filtering facepiece, usually by using your hands, and trying to breathe out. If slight pressure builds up, that means air isn’t leaking around the edges of the respirator.
  • A negative-pressure check involves blocking the intake valves on a half or full facepiece respirator or covering the respirator surface on a filtering facepiece, typically using your hands and trying to breathe in. If no air enters, the seal is tight.

  See the product User Instructions for more details.

• Compatibility with other PPE

  Safety glasses, hearing protection, face shields, hard hats and coveralls can all vie with a respirator for real estate on a person’s face, head or body. For instance, if a half face respirator doesn’t fit well (especially if it’s too large), it can overlap with glasses. The more that happens, the more fogging can potentially occur on glasses, and the more likely it is that they’ll interfere with the respirator’s seal.

  To catch these problems before they happen on the job any PPE that could interfere with the respirator’s seal to be worn during the fit test.

• Respirator Stability

  The better a respirator fits, the more stable it’s likely to be on the wearer’s face. Fit testing determines the respirator’s ability to retain its seal when the worker is in motion. That’s why test subjects are told to go through several exercises as part of testing. A respirator that shifts during movement may not be able to retain its seal.

Height Safety Standards Australia

Working at heights codes of practise

3M Fall Protection has learned of the possibility of a manufacturing defect in a dorsal d-ring utilized in ExoFit NEX™ harnesses manufactured between January 2016 and December 2018. Although there have been no reported incidents involving this condition, a dorsal d-ring with this defect will not support the load in a fall arrest event which could result in serious injury or death. Harnesses manufactured only within this date range require immediate inspection for lot number 09P1 stamped into a dorsal d-ring. We believe that only one harness was manufactured with a defective D-ring, but we urge inspection of all potentially affected harnesses out of an abundance of caution in the interests of worker safety.

To address the situation, 3M Fall Protection is launching a global Inspection Notice. As set out in the attached Notice, all ExoFit NEX™ harnesses manufactured between January 2016 and December 2018 require inspection prior to use.

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The oil bottle is provided with Hydrajaws Model 2000 and Model 2050 testers to allow the user to top up the oil reservoir should this be necessary.

The need to perform an oil top up will vary depending how much the tester is used, in fact how many times the gauge is removed from the device is the deciding factor.

The oil loss is small but does occur every time the gauge is removed, therefore overtime this essential but straight forward onsite maintenance is necessary.

If the Hydrajaws tester is allows to run out of oil then the tester will stop working though is fully recoverable.

Assuming the tester features a detachable gauge arrangement - the tester may simply be out of oil. Follow the oil fill procedure to refill the tester using the dedicated oil bottle.

What oil type is recommended?

Any light mineral hydraulic oil will suffice. The important number is ISO Viscosity Grade 32.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Hydrajaws Bluetooth Digital Gauge. Click on Read More.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Hydrajaws Portable Tension Testers. Click on Read More.

DBI Sala 3M service requirements in Australia

Click on Read more for 3M's recommendations