Meeting an Urgent Need
A New Respirator Performance Standard for Canada
CONTENTS
MEETING AN URGENT NEED
A NEW RESPIRATOR PERFORMANCE STANDARD FOR CANADA
Canada had never had a national standard defining respirator performance, but this changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, Health Canada published an interim order setting requirements for filtering facepieces and elastomeric half-mask particle filtering respirators specifically for use in healthcare. As soon as the order was issued, CSA Group began to consider developing a new performance standard.
BY SIMON SMITH
»
A NEW DOMAIN
ADVANCING PROTECTION FOR SUSCEPTIBLE WORKERS
A new AIHA technical framework defines worker susceptibility as “the combination of genetic factors or exposome that impact the severity of exposure to a given agent.” The right steps to protect against health effects from worker susceptibility will vary by organization, but the principles on which these considerations are established apply to all cases.
BY SPENCER PIZZANI
»
HEALTHY WORK STRATEGIES FOR A “CORONANORMAL” SOCIETY
ADDRESSING ECONOMIC INSECURITY, STRESS, SLEEP DEPRIVATION, AND FATIGUE
These four risks were pervasive before the COVID-19 pandemic, became especially pronounced during the worldwide public health emergency, and are predicted to persist. Evidence-based healthy work design suggestions drawn from NIOSH can help employers better safeguard members of their workforces as they work and live in the new “coronanormal” present.
BY SARA L. TAMERS, TAPAS K. RAY, AND JEANNIE A.S. NIGAM
»
DECODING CALIBRATION: THE "WORKING STANDARDS"
SPONSORED BY SKC INC.
Occupational and environmental health and safety experts play a pivotal role in ensuring the air employees breathe in workplaces remains free from harmful contaminants. One of their key tasks is to accurately sample the concentration of airborne gases, vapors, bioaerosols, and particulates. To do this, the OEHS professional must use a precisely calibrated air sampling pump.
BY LUCINETTE ALVARADO
»
CONTRIBUTORS
SIMON SMITH, FEATURE AUTHOR
Simon Smith, PhD ARCS CChem, FRSC(UK), is retired from a career in respirator filter design with 3M Canada.
SPENCER PIZZANI, FEATURE AUTHOR
Spencer Pizzani, CIH, is the occupational health manager for PepsiCo Global EHS.
SARA L. TAMERS, FEATURE AUTHOR
Sara L. Tamers, PhD, MPH, was a health research scientist at NIOSH when contributing to the article in this issue.
ON AIHA.ORG
LATEST NEWS
COMING IN DECEMBER:
Rethinking the Lead Standard | Banding Strategies for Risk Management in the Workplace | PPE Selection for Nanomaterial Exposures
The Synergist's mission is to provide AIHA members with news and information about the occupational and environmental health and safety fields and the industrial hygiene profession. The Synergist focuses on industry trends and news, government and regulatory activities, key issues facing the profession, appropriate technical information and news on association events and activities.
The Synergist's objective is to present information that is newsworthy and of general interest in industrial hygiene. Opinions, claims, conclusions, and positions expressed in this publication are the authors' or persons' quoted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, AIHA, or The Synergist.