Source
r/safety•
Corpsemprah

Accidentally put a respirator filter in backwards...

Hello everyone. So today was the first day of a new job installing polyaspartic coatings to garage floors. Step one of the process involves grinding down the existing concrete to make a cleaner, better surface for the materials being layered on it. This of course creates a large amount of dust, surely containing silica. I was using a 3M 6000 series respirator mask but accidentally put one of the two small particulate filters in upside down. It was only after we finished grinding that I thought to do a seal check on the mask and noticed I couldn't get it to suction properly to my face when covering the intakes with my hands. That is when I noticed the backwards filter, the side that should have been facing inward covered in concrete dust. I didnt see any dust on the inside of the mask but I'm a little paranoid now that I may have been breathing in some of this dangerous dust. I put a new filter in properly and the mask is now good to go, but do you all think I have anything to worry about? Silicosis is not something I particularly want to have later in life...

Posted Apr 24, 2019, 3:44 PM UTC · edited

17
redonfire13•

If this is the only time you have been grinding concrete and exposed to some amount of silica dust I would not be to worried.

6
zefronkimmle•

You should be using the P-100 type filters. Just make sure to clean your respirator and change your filters every 40 hours. You are fine. Acute exposure.

6
Damnsandwich•

When most people hear “deadly mistake”, it evokes thoughts of dying because you screwed up. Odds are high that OP will not die due to a single exposure.

Learning how to sell a message in a manner that is understanding of human behavior and thought processes is a much more effective approach to safety management.

However, to be fair to the context you’re using and not diminish the point you’re trying to make, by your definition people make deadly mistakes every day. For instance, you would probably say that driving 80 in a 70 or someone’s pinky breaking the plane of a non-IDLH CS without a permit a deadly mistake. I would call it risky behavior of which there is a ton of variation. I would say that “deadly mistake” makes the action seem as if the outcome is binary.

It’s all about message packaging.

1
afroSubie•

How big is your company and is there a dedicated safety department? Proper training prevents deadly mistakes like this.

0
Damnsandwich•

This is probably not a deadly mistake.

3
afroSubie•

Seal check as an afterthought? OSHA says it is.

Using the appropriate type, size, knowing how to take it on and off, installing cartridges and maintenance is respirator basics.

Top 3 reasons for OSHA citations is failure to measure silica levels, follow proper engineering controls and not having proper written procedures and work practices. 80% are serious and immediate threats.

Still alive today but the beginning of a series of deadly mistakes,

1
Damnsandwich•

When most people hear “deadly mistake”, it evokes thoughts of dying because you screwed up. Odds are high that OP will not die due to a single exposure.

Learning how to sell a message in a manner that is understanding of human behavior and thought processes is a much more effective approach to safety management.

However, to be fair to the context you’re using and not diminish the point you’re trying to make, by your definition people make deadly mistakes every day. For instance, you would probably say that driving 80 in a 70 or someone’s pinky breaking the plane of a non-IDLH CS without a permit a deadly mistake. I would call it risky behavior of which there is a ton of variation. I would say that “deadly mistake” makes the action seem as if the outcome is binary.

It’s all about message packaging.

1