A Survey on the Use and Non-Use of Respiratory Protective Equipment in Workplaces in a Provincial New Zealand City

A survey by self-administered questionnaire of the extent of use of respiratory protective devices (respirators) was undertaken in various industries in a provincial centre in New Zealand. The population was derived from a register of premises compiled by the Occupational Safety and Health Service of the Department of Labour. Of the airborne contaminants encountered by the respondents (N=81), exposure to dusts was most common (40%), followed by vapours (33%) and gases or fumes (27%). Knowledge of the health effects of exposure to the hazards was varied; most respondents indicated that exposure affected the respiratory system (42%). The most common form of respirator worn in the industries surveyed was the air-purifying type (73%), including ori-nasal masks with cartridges (43%) and disposable dust masks (30%). The predominant type of work undertaken when wearing respirators was handling and mixing of chemicals (19%), sanding and grinding (16%), and spraying chemicals (16%) and applying agricultural chemicals (20%). Nearly two-thirds of the respondents stated that they removed the respirator for some reason before completing the work that required its use. The most common reasons for removing the respirator were that it felt too hot (28%), or that the wearer experienced difficulty in breathing (19%) or in seeing adequately (19%). Those respondents who indicated that they always wore a respirator gave as their reason their concern for their own health. Nearly half (49%) of the respondents indicated that they had received no advice on using, fitting or maintaining the respirator.