Barry Weissman, REM, CSP, CHMM, full-time regulatory manager for a chemical company, and head of Weissman Consultants, L.L.C., claims he has never seen employees so committed to safety that they've looked out for each other this way. But he does have a few other compliance tricks up his sleeve. So do some other safety experts. He, along with Weissman, understands the complaints workers have, and sympathizes with them because he realizes that when you have to hang a piece of equipment on someone, then all else has failed. But when you can't substitute a material for a less toxic one, then you are admitting to the employee that you can't control the toxins, that respirator is a last-ditch effort to protect them.
Most employees say they do.
He encourages workers to take breaks between large jobs to cool down, and educates employees about the dangers of not wearing a respiratory device. Edwards claims that educating workers is the biggest tool an industrial hygienist has for getting employees to wear their personal protective equipment. I tell them that emphysema will make climbing the stairs difficult, and may prevent them from taking their kids to the park. Passing the course Figuring out how to get your employees to wear respirators depends on a host of factors. Relating quality of life issues to employees realistically may be the best way to encourage respirator use, regardless of the other factors you must deal with.