MOULD, DUST, VAPOURS ETC - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DISPOSABLE DUST MASKS

When working in agriculture, you can breathe in a range of dusts, vapours, fumes and mould spores or germs that can cause serious lung diseases, such as occupational asthma, farmers’ lung and chronic bronchitis. Severe cases may mean that you have to give up work and face the economic and social consequences. Some industries can achieve this by working with less harmful substances or by containing or removing the hazard. This isn’t always possible in agriculture, so when doing very dusty work such as grain handling or working with mouldy straw, you might need to wear respiratory protective equipment (RPE) as well as enclosing and extracting the dust and using good work practices to reduce the health risks.

Many types of RPE can protect you against dusts, but small agricultural enterprises are most likely to use lightweight disposable respirators, also known as ‘dust masks’. 

The right equipment

Regular checks

You should carry out a pre-use check every time you put on your respirator. Always check that it is fitted according to the manufacturer’s instructions, eg ensure that the straps and strip for moulding the respirator around your nose are correctly adjusted, then hold the mask in place and breathe in or out sharply. You should readjust the respirator if you detect any leakage around your face or your glasses steam up when you breathe out. 

What else you should know

FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 are designed to filter out dust only. They must not be used where there is an oxygen-deficient atmosphere or harmful gases and vapours. You should discard disposable respirators at the end of the shift or sooner if they are heavily contaminated. Never hang up a respirator in a dusty place for use later on. If wearing a respirator interferes with spectacles, hearing protection or head protection, a powered visor may be more suitable.