Breathing Air that Meets OSHA Requirements

LATE SUMMER 2020 – Spray Foam Magazine – Respiratory protection is at the forefront of many people’s minds, especially in the current COVID-19 climate. More than ever, it is essential to offer workers the best quality air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air quality is the largest environmental health risk in the U.S. and under their Clean Air Act it continues to work with state, local and tribal governments, other federal agencies, and stakeholders to reduce air pollution and the damage that it causes. The question is, what are companies doing to help protect workers against these pollutants? Bullard, a global leader in personal protective equipment (PPE) and systems may just have the answer.

With the introduction of their new Portable Air Quality Box, “AirGuard,” to its line of respiratory protection, they hope to improve air quality conditions for workers. The AirGuard is a solution for workers who require Grade D breathing air that meets OSHA requirements. It has a seven-inch color LCD screen that digitally displays the status and quality of a worker’s air supply. The design is user friendly and easy to navigate and read, so workers can quickly react to any potential hazardous air pollutants.

There is a useful data log which records all real-time sensor data, calibration events, and the diagnostic information is easily downloadable to a PC for operational record-keeping and OSHA compliance reporting. It also has a flexible design which gives users the option to mount the unit or bring it to a remote location by using its battery-operated function.

“AirGuard is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive so insulators can concentrate on getting their job done and not worry about air status or capturing calibration logging records,” said Mitch Kiser, Bullard’s Respiratory Protection Product Manager. “It’s a smart designed unit that records OSHA data including log calibrations, alarm events and run time. It’s all about enhancing user safety and taking some of the workload and worry away from the user.”

The AirGuard incorporates breathing air filtration with sensors for carbon monoxide and differential dew point for safety and breathing air comfort. Its three-stage filtration system removes oils, water, solid particles, and unpleasant odors to ensure workers are receiving safe and purified breathing air.

“A critical design feature of the AirGuard is the unit’s large seven-inch display which lets insulators clearly and easily see their breathing status,” said Kiser. “This feature greatly enhances worker safety and is a huge benefit for workers monitoring their air quality.”

According to the EPA, scientific evidence shows that long- and short-term exposures to fine particle pollution, also known as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), can cause premature death and harmful effects on the cardiovascular system, including increased hospital admissions and emergency department visits for heart attacks and strokes. Scientific evidence also links PM to harmful respiratory effects, including asthma attacks. Having respiratory protection products like Bullard’s AirGuard, will not only warn workers about these potential air pollutants, it will help protect them in the workplace. “The intuitive nature of the AirGuard is going to make the insulator's job a lot less stressful,” Kiser concluded.