Respiratory Protection Selection Guide

The information contained within this guide has been obtained from several sources. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy but the onus of care for the selection of respiratory protection remains with the responsible person within an employing body. Regency International Group accepts no liability resulting from the use of information contained herein.

Mandatory national and international standards exist for the selection of respirator protection equipment and the responsible person within the  employing body should refer to the appropriate local docents for definitive reference.

some of the data in this guide is based on information published by the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive. Maximum Exposure limits and Occupational Exposure Standards, or their equivalent , differ from country to country and again local standards must be the definitive source of information.

Regency International Group has a wide range of Respiratory Protection equipment in their inventory marked under several brands. In this guide we suggest ways of assessing risk, introduce the relevant European standards, introduce a means of making selecting, point to applications and environments that present special problems where extra care will be required, and outline key products within a range. There is a list of key chemicals that present respiratory hazards to industry.

If you require further information on products or have any questions of comments please contact Regency International Group for expert advice.

Respiratory Protective Equipment Standards: An overview

Respirators are normally defined as filtering Respiratory Protective devices (RPD’s) which remove contaminates from an otherwise breathable  atmosphere. Breathing Apparatus is equipment that supplies the wearer with breathable air from a controlled source, usually from self-contained bottles or cylinders, or via airlines.

A further class of RPD that is becoming important is Light Duty airline equipment. this is similar to airline Breathing Apparatus but much lighter in construction and used for general industrial applications.

Because of the diversity of applications, there are many different types of RPD in service, ranging from simple disposable filtering face pieces,  to fully self-contained breathing apparatus, This diversity is reflective in the many European and international product standards to which these devices are
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Generally, these standards can be regarded as statutory in that all devices being sold must comply with the most appropriate standard, although in Europe there is provision for novel or unusual pieces of equipment to be CE marked to alternative agreed protocols, particularly if an appropriate standard is unavailable.

En Europe, all RPE (Respiratory Protective Equipment) must be CE approved and marked before it can be sold. The CE Mark signifies only that the product and its manufacture have been independently examined against the basic safety requirements of the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) directive - 89/686/EEC, and therefore offers no clues as to the suitability or performance of a particular piece of equipment, It is therefore necessary to look to the product standard in order to understand the performance requirements.