When I didn't wear a respirator, I didn't suffer negative effects. Whatever the reason for not wearing respiratory equipment, the gear is vital for proper protection. And training is the only way to teach employees how important it is. Some of the best respiratory training is seen in fire fighting classes. Firefighters' frequent use of fresh air cylinders and facemasks makes their training very important.
Students leave the classes knowing how to don the equipment and wear it correctly.
Knowing how to adjust the various belts and how high to carry the cylinder on your back is very important. On the other hand, relating contaminant levels to everyday measurements can be helpful. For example, if you said 100 parts per million of a chemical will cause vomiting, it would be hard to imagine the quantity you're talking about. Most trainers tend to focus on data presented on the hazard sheets, which are usually difficult to understand. Long-term effects of the chemicals being handled need to be described in detail because it's hard to relate to problems that may occur 20 years after failure to wear proper respiratory protection.