Dealing with hazardous materials requires the use of industrial safety gear. In these instances workers often wear a chemical suit, or hazmat suit. A hazmat suit is a fully encapsulated outfit worn as protection from dangerous materials or chemicals. A hazmat chemical suit is usually worn with an airline respirator or more commonly with a self-contained breathing apparatus (scba). Some examples of professionals who may need to wear such an outfit include firefighters, emergency personnel, and military men and women.
A hazmat suit can protect a worker from a variety of dangers, including chemical, nuclear and biological agents. These suits are somewhat heavy and difficult to move in and usually worn in short durations of time with cooling vests.
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The PAPR Mask Explained
A PAPR hood, or a powered air purifying respirator, offers comprehensive protection and added convenience over other types of respirators, including the PAPR mask. It is easier to breathe in a PAPR hood and the air is cool, making this type of respirator easier for many to work in. PAPRs offer a higher level of protection than cartridge respirators, and when worn with a hood they alleviate the requirement for annual fit testing. Hoods also offer the user a greater amount of peripheral vision than a PAPR mask, which increases the level of safety and productivity, and complete head protection (from exposure) compared to masks.
Because they are battery powered, PAPRs have a run time limited by the battery life. Newer battery technology eliminates the battery memory issues associated with older NiCad batteries. Newer styles of PAPRs have integrated low-battery alarms that give the user plenty of time to stop what they are doing and get to a clean environment before the battery stops running.
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