Jason Lunn is a 3M Application Engineering Specialist for safety products. He oversees training and education for a variety of 3M offerings, including respirators. Here, he answers a question about mistakes pros make with respirators in the field that could compromise safety.

Q: What are the biggest safety mistakes pros make in the field with respirators?

A: We gather a lot of information from professional painters about the performance of our safety products, and we value the feedback we receive. That said, we still see our share of mistakes in the field. Here are five errors I commonly see, which can severely impact a respirator’s ability to help protect you.

1:  Wearing a respirator over a beard

The truth is, you cannot wear a disposable or reusable respirator with a beard. Period. This is because facial hair interferes with a respirator’s ability to properly seal to your face. Even a 5 o’clock shadow can interfere with the seal and cause leakage. You want to get a tight and secure seal with the respirator to your face because, as you inhale, air needs to go through the filters or cartridges. If anything breaks the seal of the respirator to the face (such as facial hair), the air will follow the path of least resistance and will be pulled in around the edges, bypassing the filters. If you have a mustache or goatee that fits entirely inside the seal, that could be fine. But it’s important to be clean shaven where the respirator edge seals to your face. Meaning, absolutely no beard.

2:  Not replacing cartridges in a timely manner

Cartridges for reusable respirators have carbon in them to help filter out hazardous chemicals in the air. But, how do you know when the carbon is “used up” and you need to replace the cartridge? Don’t guess at how long they last or wait until you can smell something, since by that time it could be too late. You need to determine how long the cartridges will last for your specific application beforehand. This is known as its service life. However, the service life can change quite a bit based on a variety of factors, including the chemicals being exposed to, concentration levels, work rate, and even temperature and humidity of the worksite. 3M’s Service Life Software can help you here. You input the appropriate information into the software, and it will calculate the number of service hours the cartridge can be used before it should be replaced. You then use this service life to determine a change schedule. A change schedule helps make it easy to remember when to replace them. For example, your change schedule may be, “replace at the beginning of every shift” or “throw out at the end of each week,” etc. This will help take the guesswork out of when to replace your cartridges.

3:  Not understanding filter and cartridge ratings

Some people believe that cartridges can filter dust and debris in the air. The truth is, they are not designed for that. Cartridges are designed to help filter out certain airborne chemicals in the air such as organic vapors (like those found in paints and varnishes), and/or acid gases (like that from chlorine bleach), depending on the cartridge. Filters, on the other hand, can help protect you from airborne particulates, such as dust and debris (like that from drywall sanding or scraping paint).

One way I help pros understand the distinction is teaching them to look for letters and numbers together on the packaging, such as P95, R95, N95 and P100. When you see those ratings, you are looking at a particulate filter.

4:  Not fit testing

A fit test is designed to help determine if a particular model of respirator can provide a tight seal to a user’s face, helping ensure the contaminated air is forced through the filters and/or cartridges. If a user does not go through (and pass) a fit test, there is a risk that the respirator they wear may not form a proper seal on the face, allowing hazardous airborne contaminants to bypass the respirator and be inhaled, rendering the respirator ineffective. Therefore, it is required that a painting professional who uses a respirator be fit tested at least once a year to ensure the respirator provides the full protection for which it was designed, as per OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.134.

5: Improper storage

When stored improperly, a respirator can become damaged. Plastic on a reusable respirator assembly, for example, sometimes breaks when a user tosses the respirator in the back of their truck or in a toolbox. The plastic can also become brittle and crack from extreme cold. In addition, head harnesses can stretch out too much if hung by them. All these issues can significantly affect how well the respirator works. Word of advice: Always inspect your respirator prior to use, and if it is damaged in any way, do not try to fix it yourself. Replace the component if possible, or replace the entire assembly if needed, before you start your next job. And always store your respirator so it is protected from contaminated areas and from potential damage during storage.

Respirators have been tested and proven to be effective. If you avoid these five common mistakes in the field, and of course read and follow the full User Instructions, you give the product an opportunity to perform at its best for you.