UNDERSTANDING THE COMMON ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS IN THE SAFETY INDUSTRY.

The health and safety industry, often referred to as EHS (we'll get to that one below) is a world packed with acronyms and abbreviations. Some refer to organizations, others to standards and regulations. It can be overwhelming to remember them all. Below we will touch on a few of the most commonly used and their meanings.

• EHS: The EHS acronym stands for Environmental Health and Safety. It encompass the safety industry at large as a general reference to those in the occupation, workplace initiatives, regulations and programs.

• PPE: PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. It is a term used to represent all protective equipment worn to reduce exposure to hazards in the workplace. For example but not limited to, gloves, safety glasses, ear plugs hard hats, respirators and harnesses.

• OSHA: The OSHA acronym stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA is a government agency that works to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards.

• ANSI: The ANSI acronym represents the American National Standards Institute. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment system. The institute works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop those standards.

• ASTM: ASTM International, formally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products and services.

• NIOSH: NIOSH stands for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH is a federal research agency that focuses on the study of worker safety and health and makes recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.

• SDS: The SDS acronym stands for Safety Data Sheet. SDSs are required to be provided by all chemical manufacturers, distributors and importers and are used to explain the dangers associated with the respective hazardous chemical products they represent.

• JSA: A JSA, Job Safety Analysis, identifies potential hazards within a specific job or duty. After hazards have been identified, PPE and procedure recommendations are made to control or prevent the hazards to the worker in that role.

• VPP: The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) recognizes employers and workers in the private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries. An application and rigorous onsite evaluation is required for participation. VPP participants are re-evaluated every 3-5 years to remain in the program.

The world of health and safety is vast and so are the acronyms and abbreviations used in the industry. Between safety professional certifications, agencies relating to safety and manufacturing, product standards categories, and independent quality testing organizations the list truly is endless. When you partner with Ark Safety you can rest assured that you're working with experts who not only understand your process and procedures, but also the safety community at large. We are there to bridge the gap to ensure each of your workers is properly protected and that your safety professionals are armed with the knowledge to see that through day-in and day-out. Do you have questions on any safety terminology or standards? Contact us today.

Join the conversation! Leave us a comment with with safety acronym or abbreviation you thought of while reading this article.

HOW TO SELECT THE CORRECT RESPIRATOR FOR YOUR WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT.

Selecting respirators for your workplace is crucial to providing protection to your employees. But where do you start? There are so many types of respirators and possible hazards that the process can feel overwhelming. It's important to remember that no matter how well made your respirator is or how properly it fits, it can only filter out hazards that it is designed for. Below are four steps that you can take to select the appropriate respirator for your employees.

1. Identify The Hazard
2. Assess The Exposure
3. Determine The Protection Level Necessary
4. Choose A Respirator Type

Let's take a deeper look at each of these steps below.

IDENTIFY THE HAZARD

The first step is to evaluate whether your work environment contains a gas/vapor hazard (for example chlorine gas, solvent vapors) particulate hazards (for example dust/fibers), or both. Generally cartridges are used to filter against gas and vapors and a filter to protect against particulate hazards. When both hazards are a risk to your employee, combination options are available.

ASSESS THE EXPOSURE

When assessing exposure levels for the substances in the environment, results are most commonly measured in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per cubic meter of air (mg/m3). These figures are then calculated to an average exposure over the length of a typical work shift. OSHA has established occupational exposure limits (OEL) or permissible exposure limits (PEL). These values will assist you in determining if providing respiratory protection is required by law. Short-Term Exposure Limits (STEL) or Ceiling Limits (C) are other measurable metrics that may also be noted. STEL is in the form of 15-minute exposure intervals and C is the absolute limit never to be exceeded by a worker.

Should your environment expose employees to levels below the OEL, you are not legally required to provide protection. That being said, you may choose to still offer voluntary respiratory protection for the benefit of your workforce. If levels are above the limit, appropriate respiratory protection to bring exposures to an acceptable limit must be selected.

DETERMINE THE PROTECTION LEVEL NECESSARY

Respirators approved by NIOSH are the only respirators OSHA allows for use in the workplace. NIOSH approved respirators are given an Assigned Protection Factor (APF). This is a numerical metric ranging from 10 to 10,000. The assigned value relates to the workplace level of protection a respirator is expect to provide. For example, an APF of 10 represents that the respirator is expected to protect against exposure levels that are up to 10 times the PEL for that particular hazard. A calculation known as the hazard ratio is a helfpul too to see what level of APF a work environment will require.

Exposure level of 100 ppm ÷ OEL or PEL of 10 ppm = APF of 10.

CHOOSE A RESPIRATOR TYPE

After your APF has been determined, selecting your respirator becomes much simpler as you only consider respirators that can reduce exposure below the OEL. It is also to important to evaluate the compatibility of your respirator with other required PPE that your employee may be wearing. For example, when an employee is wearing safety glasses, some half face respirators may have a difficult fitting correctly over the bridge of the nose. Be cautious to select a respirator that works well together without sacrificing the protection of co-existing PPE solutions. In this example it is essential that there is no loss in eye protection as well as ensure there is no leakage around the respirator. Application, shapes/size of your worker's face, and other factors need to be to considered. Multiple sizes or lightweight solutions may be needed.

Now that you're able to identify the hazard and the level of protection that you need, below is a refresher of the different types of respirators.

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