Psychological Problems Associated with the Wearing of Industrial Respirators: A Review

This review has dealt with the psychological problems associated with the use of industrial respirators. The need for men and women to wear various self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) while working in hostile environments such as toxic and oxygen deficient atmospheres is well documented. Extensive research has been carried out in an attempt to improve the design of respirators, and major advances have resulted in the manufacture of SCBA that insure health, safety, and performance. Indeed, recent research reveals that performance decrements associated with the wearing of respirators are due entirely to pak weight; that is, breathing resistance no longer appears to be a significant problem in most cases. Despite the fact that major advances have taken place in the design of respirators, it is still widely recognized that "psychological" problems continue to exist. Unfortunately, very little research has been directed toward an understanding of the "person" component of the respirator-person interface; that is, research has focused on respirator variables with little attention paid to person variables. While it has been proposed that certain "types" of individuals be eliminated from work tasks requiring the wearing of SCBA, there has not been a concise diagnostic statement presented to enable such a screening approach to be adopted.