How to choose the right equipment for your welders January 29,
2004 Several technical articles have addressed respiratory
diseases associated with welding activities and when a
respirator should be used to help prevent these diseases. Once
an employer concludes that respiratory protection is the
appropriate option for a particular application, the next step
is selecting the right respirator. Several factors can help
employers select a respirator that meets the required level of
protection while having a positive business impact. Using this
approach, employers can make choosing a respirator a business
decision that can increase productivity, decrease injuries, and
decrease employee turnover. For any welding or grinding
application, an array of respirators can offer an appropriate
level of protection. The unit cost of those respirators may
range from $1 for a basic disposable respirator to $1,000 or
more for a positive-pressure system. But the initial price is
only one part of the equation, and other cost issue