Friday, May 30, 2014

How To Test The Fit Of Your N95 Respirators

By Marci Glover


Protective gears are necessary for healthcare workers. It is also a requirement by those people who are frequently exposed to airborne diseases. When they have protective gears such as N95 respirators, then they can get their body, specifically their lungs, protected from these disease-causing elements.

Your protective mask should be chosen meticulously. You have to pick the one that will fit well with your face. When you are making a choice, you have to make sure that it can be a proper fit to your face so that you may create a seal. This gear acting as your seal will block all of the harmful elements.

This kind of protective gear can only be used one time. You cannot reuse this gear because it is not effective the second time around. The mask should be molded properly to your face during the time of use. If you cannot mold it properly, then that will just make your mask useless. It will not be able to protect you from the elements that will harm your respiratory system.

Be sure that this mask will really fit with the contour of your face. If you want to know this, you have to learn how to wear the mask. You have to follow a technique for the fitting of the mask. Since fitting the mask is imperative for safety reasons, know how to use the technique. Here are the important tips you must follow.

First, think about the size and style for the said mask. The mask will need to cover the part of the mouth and nose. Let it rest at your chin and partly over the bridge of the nose. Be sure that there is enough room for you to wear eye protection. It is a must to have a room to talk and breathe with no problems at all.

The mask should be placed over the face. Adjust the straps across the back of the head if you feel that it is not tight enough. Also, crimp the mask over the bridge of the noise to ensure that there is a proper seal without any gaping. It should be easy for you to check the placement of the mask with a mirror.

For those who are using a mask for the first time, they might find it difficult to breathe through it. In this case, you have to practice breathing. Make sure that your mask will not impede the air flow.

Perform a taste threshold screening. This is the kind of screening that will permit you to determine if the mask is creating a good seal for you. Out of the many types of taste threshold screening, the one you should use is the technique that uses saccharin solutions. This is a popular technique so you will not have any problems in using it.

You will need the saccharin solution, nebulizer, and hood with this technique. Create a dome over the nebulizer. If you can taste saccharin despite having the mask on, then the mask is not fitted properly. Start over.




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