Definition - What does Disposable Respirators mean?
Disposable respirators are a type of particulate-filtering face piece that is worn over the nose and mouth to protect the wearer from inhaling contaminants that may be hazardous. The face piece is thrown away and replaced once it has reached a point where it can no longer be utilized to effectively and safely remove contaminants from air inhaled by the wearer, similar to air conditioning filters in a home or office are routinely replaced once they have collected a certain amount of debris.
SureHire explains Disposable Respirators
A disposable respirator is an air-purifying respirator worn to work safely in environments where potentially hazardous airborne particles such as dust, airborne suspensions, and smoke are found. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health regulates the standards and procedures to be followed in the workplace where such environmental conditions exist. The filtering face piece is given a rating based on these standards where it is indicated as either N, R, or P which means not oil-resistant, oil resistant, or very oil-resistant respectively. The face piece is also assigned a filtering efficiency rating of either 95, 99, or 100%. There are nine types of disposable respirators. They are disposed of when they become damaged, unhygienic, or saturated by the contaminants.
