Given that poor air quality has been present for such a long time and remains a concern, there are new considerations for the effectiveness and use of the P2 facemasks and with school holidays nearing the end, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The heavy smoke affecting the ACT is expected to continue while fires continue to burn across the border. During this time, the ACT Health Directorate’s advice remains the same.

**Information last updated on 11 January 2020**

Should I wear a face mask to protect myself from bushfire smoke?

Cloth masks are a popular choice - but they're effectively useless against the particles in bushfire smoke. So do I protect myself from bushfire smoke?

In work sites of every variety, edges are much more common than people realize – and they may pose a greater risk than you’d expect. Whether you’re laying roofing, traversing a beam, or simply working near the unprotected sides of an upper floor, falls over an edge are more hazardous than other falls. Without protection designed for edges, traditional lifelines risk being severed and the force upon the worker in the event of a fall is significantly increased. Honeywell estimates that as many as 80% of fall-protection users have applications in which a lifeline will come in contact with an edge in the event of a fall.

Bushfires are part of life in Australia. These fires can produce vast amounts of smoke, off-gases and ash and there is a need to consider the most appropriate ways of providing respiratory protection for those exposed to these contaminants.

Fire decomposes or breaks down materials. The composition of these breakdown products will vary depending on:

• The composition of the burning materials - this can be from many sources
• The ventilation conditions - poor ventilation reduces the available oxygen and changes the makeup of the decomposition products.
• The temperature of the fire.
• Burning produces particles as well as gases and vapours. The gases can often include irritant gases like hydrogen chloride and acrolein.

Smoke is defined in AS/NZS1715:1994 as "particles of low vapour pressure suspended in the air. Smoke is made from the solid and liquid products of combustion. Smoke particles settle slowly under gravity. Normally, the combustion process that produces smoke also produces gases".

Is the CE marking mandatory? In Europe, all products covered by a European regulatory text (a regulation or directive) must bear the CE (European Conformity) marking. For personal protective equipment, EU regulation 2016/425 (formerly the 89/686/EC directive) regulates the manufacture and marketing of fall protection PPE.

Artificial stone used to make kitchen and bathroom countertops has been linked to cases of death and irreversible lung injury in workers who cut, grind and polish this increasingly popular material.

DBI Sala 3M service requirements in Australia

Click on Read more for 3M's recommendations

Working at heights codes of practise

Height Safety Standards Australia