NIOSH Program Portfolio

Personal Protective Technology

Outputs: Products

Dermal

Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-2007-0263-3069, report on respiratory and dermal conditions among machine shops workers, Superior Industries International, Inc., Pittsburg, Kansas Authors: Cummings-KJ; Boylstein-RJ; Cox-Ganser-J; Source NIOSH 2008 Jul; :1-52

Development of an improved strategy for the derivation of skin notations Authors: Dotson-G; Maier-A; Gadagbui-B; Geraci-CL Source Toxicologist 2008 Mar; 102 (1): 202 NIOSHTIC-2 Publication 20033553

Workplace Solutions: Personal Protective Equipment for health care workers who work with hazardous drugs Authors: Connor-TH; Reed-LD; Polovich-M, McDiarmid-MA; Leone-MM; Power-LA; Whalen-JJ; Source NIOSH 2008 Oct; : 1-4 Link: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-106/ NIOSHTIC-2 Publication No. 20034646 Abstract Health care workers who handle hazardous drugs are at risk of skin rashes, cancer, reproductive disorders. NIOSH recommends that employers provide appropiate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers who handle hazardous drugs in the workplace.

Estimating the permeation resistance of nonporous barrier polymers to sulfur mustard (HD) and Sarin (GD) chemical warfare agents using liquid simulants Authors: Rivin-D; Shuely-WJ; Palya Jr-F; Lindsay-RS; Rodriguez-A; Bartram-PW; Source NIOSH 2008 Jul:1-100 Link: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-141/ NIOSHTIC-2 Publications No. 20034609 Abstract The purpose of this document is to report the results of the NIOSH Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) Simulant Project that had the following goals: 1.) Identify chemicals (simulants) that simulate the permeation of Sarin (GB) and sulfur mustard (HD) through elastomeric barrier materials that are commonly used in respirators. 2.) Develop a convenient and reliable laboratory procedure (test method) that can be used by Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers for estimating GB and HD permeation rates through barrier materials using the simulants. PPE manufacturers can use this method to screen and deselect candidate barrier materials during product development testing. Advancements in this research can benefit the first responder community by providing PPE manufacturers with information and testing techniques that will reduce the time and resources needed to engineer products that weigh less, have better permeation resistance, are less cumbersome, and could potentially be less expensive.

Review of chamber design requirements for testing of personal protective clothing ensembles Authors Gao-P; King-WP; Shaffer-R, Source J Occup Environ Hyg 2007 Aug; 4(8):562-571 External Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15459620701448416 NIOSHTIC-2 Publication No. 20032558 Abstract. This review focuses on the physical requirements for conducting ensemble testing and describes the salient issues that organizations involved in the design, test, or certification of personal protective equipment (PPE) and protective clothing ensembles need to consider for strategic planning. Several current and proposed PPE ensembles test practices and standards were identified. The man-in-simulant (MIST) is the primary procedure used by the military to evaluate clothing ensembles for protection against chemical and biological warfare agents. MIST has been incorporated into the current editions of protective clothing and equipment standards promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). ASTM has recently developed a new test method (ASTM F 2588-06) for MIST evaluation of protective ensembles. Other relevant test methods include those described in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. The primary differences among the test methods were the choice of test challenge material (e.g., sulfur hexafluoride, methyl salicylate, sodium chloride particles, corn oil, flourophore-impregnated silica) and the exercise protocol for the subject(s). Although ensemble test methods and standards provide detailed descriptions of the test procedures, none give specific requirements for chamber design. A literature survey identified 28 whole-body exposure chambers that have been or could potentially be used for testing protective clothing ensembles using human test subjects. Medium chamber size, medium floor space, and medium volume per subject were calculated from 15 chambers (involving human test subjects), where size information is available. Based on the literature survey of existing chambers and the review of the current and proposed standards and test methods, chamber design requirements will be dictated by the test methods selected. Due to widely different test conditions for aerosol/particulate and vapor ensemble testing, it is unlikely that a single chamber could accomodiate all types of ensemble testing. With increasing use of the MIST protocol by NFPA for CBRN certification of structural firefighting gear and protective ensembles for first responders, the need for MIST laboratory capability is clear. However, existing chambers can likely be adapted to accommodate MIST with some modifications.

Permeation Calculator Version 2.4
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007 - 143C

Review of chamber design requirements for testing of personal protective clothing ensembles.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 4(8):562 571.
External link: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content?content=10.1080/15459620701448416

Assessment of personal protective equipment needs of first responders during a structural collapse event.
Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals, Stockholm, Sweden, June 12-15, 2005. Morgantown, WV: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 1.

Change in permeation parameters and the decontamination efficacy of three chemical protective gloves.
Am J Ind Med 2005 Apr; 47(2):131 143.

Change in tensile properties of neoprene and nitrile gloves after repeated exposure to acetone and thermal decontaminations.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2005 Nov 2(11):543 552.

Application of colorimetric indicators and thermo-hand method to determine base permeation through chemical protective gloves.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2004 Dec; 1(12):799 805.

Change in tensile strength and ultimate elongation of neoprene and nitrile gloves after repeated exposures to acetone and thermal decontaminations.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 8-13, 2004, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: Am Indust Hyg Assoc 2004 May; 41 42.

The thermo-hand method: evaluation of a new indicator pad for acid permeation of chemical protective gloves.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2003 Nov; 64(6):771 776.

Federal government regulation of occupational skin exposure in the USA.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2003 Jun; 76(5):387 399.

Inhalation

Du L, Zhuang Z, Guan H, Xing J, Tang X, Wang L, Wang Z, Wang H, Liu Y, Su W, Benson S, Gallagher S, Viscusi D, Chen W [2008]. Head and face anthropometric survey of Chinese workers. Ann Occup Hyg 52(8): 773-782.

Zhuang Z, Groce D, Ahlers H, Iskander W, Landsittel D, Guffey S, Benson S, Viscusi D, Shaffer R [2008]. Coorelation between respirator fit and respirator fit test panel cells by respirator size. J Occup and Environ Hyg, 5:10, 617-628.

Multivapor: Multivapor Version 2.1.3 - Valid through December 31, 2009.
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-129C

Estimating service lives of air-purifying respirator cartridges for reactive gas removal.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2005 Aug; 2(8):414 423.

OSHA respirator program requirements: How does your program measure up?
J Prot Coat Linings 2005 Jun; (6):66 72.

Results of focus groups on respirator use and practices among road and transportation builders.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 21-26, 2005, Anaheim, California. Fairfax, VA: Am Indust Hyg Assoc 2005 63.

Estimating service lives of organic vapor respirator cartridges for multiple vapors at all humidities.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 21-26, 2005, Anaheim, California. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2005 May 27.

A survey of private sector respirator use in the United States: An overview of findings.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2005 May; 2(5):267 276.

The effect of subject characteristics and respirator features on respirator fit.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2005 Dec; 2(12):641 649.

Head-and-face anthropometric survey of U.S. respirator users.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2005 Nov; 2(11):567 576.

Respirator fit testing practices in the U.S.
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2005 Apr-Sep; 22:11 16.

Evaluating the representativeness of the LANL respirator fit test panels for the current U.S. civilian workers.
ISRP Japan 2004. ISRP 12^th International Conference, Yokohama, Japan Nov. 9 - 12, 2004. Yokohama, Japan: Asian Section, Internat Soc Resp Prot 2004 Nov 1.

Respiratory protection against bioaerosols: Literature review and research needs.
Am J Infect Control 2004 Oct; 32(6):345 354.

Measurement of Freon-113 exposure dose in exhaled breath samples using GC/MS with preconcentration.
Am Chem Soc 2004 Aug; 228(Part 1):ANYL-083.

Estimating service lives of organic vapor cartridges II: A single vapor at all humidities.
J Occup Environ Hyg 2004 Jul; 1(7):472 492.

Anthropometric survey of respirator users.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 8-13, 2004, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: Am Ind Hyg Assoc 2004 7.

The effect of ambient aerosol concentration and exercise on portacount quantitative fit factors. American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 8-13, 2004, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: Am Ind Hyg Assoc 2004 83.

Respirator user instructions and NIOSH approval labels: Are they understood and used? American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 8-13, 2004, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: Am Ind Hyg Assoc 2004 83.

Inhaled carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations in three escape hood respirators during rest and exercise.
Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004 May; 36(5)(Suppl):S245.

Usefulness of respirator manufacturer user's instructions and NIOSH approval labels.
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2004 Spring/Summer; 21(Spring/Summer):31 39.

The effect of ambient aerosol concentration and exercise on Portacount quantitative fit factors.
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2004 Spring/Summer, 21:11 20.

Usefulness of respirator manufacturer user's instructions and NIOSH approval labels.
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2004 Spring/Summer; 21:31 39.

Breakthrough: Single vapor version 3.0.2 (2005 Jan; CD-ROM)
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-125C

Breakthrough: Single vapor beta version 3.0.0 (2004 Jan; CD-ROM)
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-114

Which substances prompt respirator use?
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2003 Dec; 20(3-4):125 135.

Correlation between quantitative fit factors and workplace protection factors measured in actual workplace environments at a steel foundry.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2003 Nov; 64(6):730 738.

Comparison of six quantitative fit test methods using full facepiece respirators with a measurement of exposure.
J Int Soc Respir Prot 2002 Spring/Summer; 19(1-2):20 36.

Comparison of six respirator fit-test methods with an actual measurement of exposure in a simulated health care environment: part III—validation.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1999 May; 60(3):363 366.

Comparison of six respirator fit-test methods with an actual measurement of exposure in a simulated health care environment: part I - protocol development.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1998 Dec; 59(12):852 861.

Comparison of six respirator fit-test methods with an actual measurement of exposure in a simulated health care environment: part II - method comparison testing.
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1998 Dec; 59(12):862 870.

Respirator fit testing.
The Treatment and Prevention of Asbestos Diseases, 1998 15():281-337.

Quantitative fit-testing of N95 Respirators: Part II--results, effect of filter penetration, fit-test, and pass/fail criteria on respirator performance.
J Int Soc Respir Prot, 1998 Jan 16(1-4):25 36.

Comparison of two newly developed methods for fit testing N95 Respirators.
J Int Soc Respir Prot, 1998 Jan 16(1-4):37 47.

Injury

Eye

Eye Safety - Emergency Response & Disaster Recovery en español.
Provides an overview of eye hazards and injuries, plus information on types of eye protection, safety for prescription lens wearers, and first aid.

Eye Protection for Infection Control.
Provides background information and specific details on eye protection used to supplement eye protection recommendations provided in current CDC infection control guidance documents. It is intended to familiarize workers with the various types of eye protection available, their characteristics, and their applicable use.

Eye Safety Tool Box Talk
Provides an example tool box talk on eye protection for construction workers.

Contact Lens Use in a Chemical Environment
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 2005-139 (June 2005)
Provides safety guidelines for contact lens wearers working in chemical environments.

Observed versus reported behaviors and a theoretically-based eye injury intervention for carpenters.
Inj Insights 2002-2003 Dec-Jan :1 7.

Theoretically-based eye injury prevention messages: Working with carpenters.
ICOH, 2002 Oct :52 53.

Hearing

Firearms and hearing protection.
Hearing Rev 2007 Mar; 14(3):36 38.

Best practices, international standards, and legislations regarding chemical exposure in the workplace and the risk of hearing loss.
NHCA Spectrum 2006 Feb; 23(Suppl 1):21.

Noise and hearing protection for drillers.
Water Well J 2005 Dec; 59(12):20 21,23.

Working in noise with a hearing loss: perceptions from workers, supervisors, and hearing conservation program managers.
Ear Hear 2005 Dec; 26(6):529 545.

Hearing loss in the mining industry: overview of the NIOSH hearing loss prevention program at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
31^st International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes, 2-5 October 2005, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Redbank, Queensland, Australia: Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station (Simtars), 2005, 133 137.

New system for monitoring exposure to impulsive noise.
Inter-Noise 2005. The 34^th International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering, 07-10 August 2005, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. West Lafayette, IN: International Institute of Noise Control Engineering, 2005 1 9.

NIOSH/NHCA best-practices workshop on impulsive noise.
Noise Control Eng J 2005 Mar-Apr; 53(2):53 60.

Hearing protector device compendium.
Cincinnati, OH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2003 Jun, web page.

NIOSH [2003]. Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-2002-0131-2898, Fort Collins Police Services, Fort Collins, Colorado, 1 29.

NIOSH [2000] NIOSH hearing loss publications 1.

Eartalk - hearing protector and communication system.
Advances in Noise Research. Volume 2, Protection Against Noise. Chichester, United Kingdom: Whurr Publishers Ltd., 1998, 183 188.

NIOSH [1994]. The NIOSH Compendium of Hearing Protection Devices.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips and falls in U.S. hospital workers-detailed investigation.
Proceedings of the 16^th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 10-14, 2006. Madison, WI: International Ergonomics Association, 1 4.

Slip, trip and fall (STF) prevention in health care workers.
Proceedings of the 16^th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), Maastricht, The Netherlands. Madison, WI: International Ergonomics Association, 1 5.

Suspension tolerance in men and women wearing safety harnesses.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 13-16, 2006, Chicago, Illinois. American Industrial Hygiene Association: Fairfax, Virginia, 2006 144.

Footwear effects on workers' instability in a virtual roof workplace.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 21-26, 2005, Anaheim, California. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2005 49.

Constructing new harness fit charts using 3-D anthropometric information.
Contemporary Ergonomics 2005. Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Ergonomics, April 4-7, 2005, Hertfordshire, England. London: Taylor and Francis, 3 7.

Slips, trips, and falls in hospital workers - pilot outcomes.
American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo, May 8-13, 2004, Atlanta, Georgia. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2004, 3.

Anthropometric procedures for design decisions: from flat map to 3-D scanning.
Contemporary Ergonomics 2004: Proceedings of the Ergonomics Society Conference. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2004 144 148.

Quantitative assessment of human body shape using Fourier analysis.
IS&T/SPIE's 16^th Annual Symposium, Electronic Imaging, Science and Technology, January 18-22, 2004, San Jose, CA, 117124.

A case-crossover pilot study of slips, trips, and falls in health care workers.
NOIRS 2003-Abstracts of the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium 2003. Pittsburgh, PA: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2003, 75.

Sizing and fit of fall-protection harnesses.
Ergonomics 2003 Oct; 46(12):1233 1258.

Control and perception of balance at elevated and sloped surfaces.
Hum Factors 2003 Spring; 45(1):136 147.

Comparing standing balance at real and virtual elevated environments.
Proc Hum Fact Erg Soc 46^th Ann Meeting 2002 Sep-Oct, :2169 2173.

Anthropometric differences among occupational groups.
Ergonomics 2002 Feb 45(2):136 152.

Occupational slip, trip, and fall-related injuries - can the contribution of slipperiness be isolated? Ergonomics 2001 Oct; 44(13):1118 1137.

Improving fall protection harness safety: Contribution of 3-D scanning.
Scanning 2000--Numerisation 3D. 5^th ed. Proceedings of the Industrial Congress on 3D Digitizing, Paris, France, May 24-25, 2000. Dinard Cedex, France: Harbour, 117 128.

Safe work at elevation through virtual reality simulation.
NOIRS 2000--Abstracts of the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium 2000, Pittsburgh, PA, October 17-19, 2000. Pittsburgh, PA: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 60 61.

Slip and fall: fall protection in construction safety.
Industrial and Occupational Ergonomics: Users' Encyclopedia. Cincinnati, OH: International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 1999 Apr; :CDROM (1-9).

Nonfatal occupational injuries from slips, trips, and falls among older workers treated in hospital emergency departments, United States 1998.
Am J Ind Med 2004 Jul; 46(1):32 41.