One of the biggest contributors to reduced respiratory protection is poor fit.

Conducting a fit test to ensure that a respirator with a tight fitting facepiece provides an adequate seal to the wearer’s face is considered a crucial part of a Respiratory Protection Program.

Reflecting this, a respiratory fit test is mandated for compliance to AS/NZS 1715:2009 (the standard for users of respiratory protection).

3M™ Qualitative Fit Test Kits are designed for fit testing disposable and half face respirators fitted with particulate or combination gas/vapour and particulate filters.

There is a simple and cost-effective solution that protects workers from airborne hazards.

Are you protected?

Respirators are a simple and effective solution that can help to protect against what can be a potentially deadly issue when it comes to occupational health and safety.

Our natural protections against respiratory illnesses include a lung-clearing mechanism using small hairs called cilia that line our respiratory tract, nasal hairs acting as a coarse filter, and the cough reflex - all of which help expel unwanted airborne microbes and particles.

However, these protections may not work when particulates in the air are in such concentrations, or are so toxic, that our natural defences are not dequate enough to protect our respiratory system.

An array of exposures can cause respiratory health problems and irritate pre-existing conditions.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics1, about 14 per cent of all deaths in Australia are caused by lung diseases such as mesothelioma, asthma, lung cancer, asbestosis and pneumonia. 

Some of these diseases are caused by personal choices including smoking, while others, such as asthma, can be a combination of hereditary and environmental conditions.

Did you know?

Australia has the second-highest mesothelioma death rate in the world, trailing only that of the United Kingdom. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure, is leaving its mark on the nation with more than 10,000 people succumbing to the disease since the early 1980s. According to cancer experts, an additional 25,000 people are expected to die from it over the next four decades.

• 606 deaths from mesothelioma in Australia in 2011
• Nearly 700 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in Australia in 2011
• 90 cases of mesothelioma in New Zealand in 2010

No Matter What You Do, Safety Starts With You!

It’s recommended that the removal of asbestos materials is performed by a licensed asbestos removalist. However, when renovating or performing maintenance around the home you may come across asbestos containing materials so it’s particularly important you
use the correct Personal Protective Equipment at all times.

Reach out to a Safety Specialist if you’re unsure of any aspect of PPE required to safeguard you against potential asbestos hazards.

Use this quick selection guide to find the recommended respiratory protection for your hazard and face shape.

Please note:

if you have identified contaminated air as a hazard, you should put control measures in place to manage exposure. The hierarchy of controls is a system that will guide you to select appropriate controls. The use of respiratory protection is one method of control which can be used in conjunction with other controls.

Use this quick selection guide to find the recommended respiratory protection for your task and face shape.

Please note: if you have identified contaminated air as a hazard, you should put control measures in place to manage exposure. The hierarchy of controls is a system that will guide you to select appropriate controls. The use of respiratory protection is one method of control which can be used in conjunction with other controls.

Use this quick selection guide to find the recommended respiratory protection for your task and face shape.

Please note: if you have identified contaminated air as a hazard, you should put control measures in place to manage exposure. The hierarchy of
controls is a system that will guide you to select appropriate controls. The use of respiratory protection is one method of control which can be used in conjunction with other controls.

Use this quick selection guide to find the recommended respiratory protection for your task and face shape.

Please note: if you have identified contaminated air as a hazard, you should put control measures in place to manage exposure. The hierarchy of controls is a system that will guide you to select appropriate controls. The use of respiratory protection is one method of control which can be used in conjunction with other controls.

3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirators 9300A+ Series

Technical Data Sheet

The 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9300A+ Series provides effective respiratory protection for use in environments where workers will be exposed to airborne dust particles and non-volatile liquid particles.

The 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirator 9300A+ Series respirators meet the Class P1 or P2 performance requirements of AS/NZS 1716:2012 for filtering mechanically (P1) and thermally (P2) generated particles. They should be used to protect the wearer from solid and non-volatile liquid particles only. Class P2 respirators are also recommended for use in certain applications against some pathogenic biological airborne particulates such as Influenza virus. A copy of AS/NZS 1716:2012 can be purchased from SAI Global.

• 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.

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.