WEBINAR - PPE: CHOOSING CHEMICAL CHALLENGE LEVELS

This FREE webinar will answer another of the most frequently asked questions we receive on personal protective equipment (PPE): How do we determine which level of PPE is appropriate for a given task?

During our 1st webinar (Jan 20, 2021), we focused on the selection and use of standardized chemical batteries to ensure that PPE is sufficient to protect against a broad range of chemical challenges. This 2nd webinar focuses on selecting the appropriate chemical challenge levels as well as physical properties to address specific operational needs in the hazardous materials/CBRN response community. Chemical challenge levels need to be appropriate for the intended operational use to ensure that the materials can meet both the chemical and physical threats while also addressing the length of time that the operator will likely be in the ensemble in order to complete the necessary tasks. For many years, we limited our response capabilities by wearing ensembles with over-engineered chemical protection; unfortunately, this often resulted in lower than necessary physical protection and increased heat stress. Using a risk-based approach to PPE selection, the operator can select a level of protection that is commensurate with the tasks to be performed and has a balance between chemical protection, physical protection, and overall heat load on the operator.

The goals of this seminar are to demonstrate how chemical challenge levels were selected for the NFPA 1994 chemical protective clothing standard (as an example) by:

1. Identifying the tasks involved in a hazmat/CBRN incident and the levels of chemicals that one would expect to encounter.

2. Comparing the tasks against the physical hazards that the material may be required to endure.

3. Determining the need for heat stress management based upon the length of time required for a given task and the type of work to be performed.

WEBINAR - PPE: Selecting & Using chemical batteries

This FREE webinar will answer the one of the most frequently asked questions we receive on personal protective equipment (PPE): How do I know it will protect me from chemical X?

There is a common misconception within parts of the hazardous materials response community that large chemical lists with permeation breakthrough data are the best way to demonstrate the protective qualities of chemical clothing products. Most of these lists only provide information on the principal barrier material (usually the most protective part of the clothing) while ignoring interface materials, seams, and visors (that tend to be the least protective parts of an ensemble). While such lists can sometimes be helpful, this approach ignores the overall systems approach for how clothing provides protection where it is more important to test all parts of the ensemble and apply standardized lists or batteries of chemicals used for demonstrating clothing barrier qualities for a larger array of chemicals.

This webinar will focus on:

1. Measuring Protection: Permeation Breakthrough Times versus Cumulative Mass

2. Establishment of Standardized Chemical Lists (Batteries) for Barrier Testing

3. Predictive Capabilities for Battery Chemicals

WEBINAR - PPE: CHOOSING CHEMICAL CHALLENGE LEVELS

WEBINAR - PPE: Selecting & Using chemical batteries

Training

Risk-Based Selection of PPE (From Resonate)

Encapsulated vs. non-encapsulated level a ensemble designs

Encapsulated vs. non-encapsulated level a ensemble designs

Encapsulated vs. non-encapsulated level a ensemble designs

Encapsulated vs. Non-encapsulated level a ensemble designs

Encapsulated vs. non-encapsulated level a ensemble designs

Pyroman with Multithreat Ensemble