Fredrick Paget on sun 30 jan 05
A sort of similar problem arises with divers who have a mustache and
need to seal the diving mask to their face. As I have not had a beard
or mustache since I was 25 I can only quote hearsay. I have heard
that a thick coat of Vaseline can be used in the mustache to get a
seal. Messy but if it works ? With a beard out in the air something
thicker and less prone to melt would be needed. Try lanolin or axle
grease.
Fred
--
From Fred Paget, Marin County, California, USA
fredrick@well.com
Charter Member Potters Council
Dave Finkelnburg on sun 30 jan 05
Maurice,
I hate to tell you this, but in the view of Industrial Hygienists and scientists who study this stuff, you cannot seal a respirator against a beard and prevent infiltration of airborne contaminants. As you observe, you'll get less dust, but you won't stop the dust.
In an industrial setting in the US, OSHA will permit wearing of facial hair by someone who must don a respirator provided the seal area of the subject is clean shaven.
So, wearing a respirator over a beard is a compromise. If you have employees and are regulated, that compromise isn't permitted. In your own studio, you, of course, follow your own judgment. :-)
Good potting!
Dave Finkelnburg
Maurice Weitman wrote:
I agree with the importance you (Vince P.) and others place on wearing a good
mask that fits well.
But what do you do about achieving such a seal for those of us with
beards?
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Vince Pitelka on sun 30 jan 05
Dave Finkelnburg, who knows almost everything (I'm not kidding), said:
> I hate to tell you this, but in the view of Industrial Hygienists and
> scientists who study this stuff, you cannot seal a respirator against a
> beard and prevent infiltration of airborne contaminants. As you observe,
> you'll get less dust, but you won't stop the dust.
> In an industrial setting in the US, OSHA will permit wearing of facial
> hair by someone who must don a respirator provided the seal area of the
> subject is clean shaven.
> So, wearing a respirator over a beard is a compromise. If you have
> employees and are regulated, that compromise isn't permitted. In your own
> studio, you, of course, follow your own judgment. :-)
Dave -
It is fine to quote OSHA rules, but that serves primarily to illustrate the
folly of those rules. From everything I can gather, OSHA policy is based on
assignation of liability far more than hard science. Anything that can
conceivably be considered a safety problem is reason to formulate a new OSHA
rule, because there are insufficient funds to do the science. So, OSHA
rulings are structured to protect employers (who have the money and lobbying
power) from liability rather than employees from injury. Those who are the
slaves and devotees of OSHA will of course tell you otherwise, but why
should that surprise us, and why in the world would we believe them?
I don't hold out much hope of anyone doing the hard science in this regard.
Why should they? As I have said before, the mere idea that a safety expert
would tell a bearded person not to bother with a respirator at all is the
perfect proof of how severely flawed the system really is.
And there was a typo in my message about this yesterday. The OSHA rule says
that employees should not wear respirators at all unless their employer has
an OSHA-approved respirator replacement and training program. Again,
positive proof of a severely flawed system.
So, yes, wearing a respirator with a beard is a bit of a compromise. Life
is full of compromises, and one should carefully consider all of them. It
is wise to try to be as safe as possible in all things, and in my respirator
practice, I am doing so within the limitations I am willing to accept.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Gary Elfring on tue 1 feb 05
FP> A sort of similar problem arises with divers who have a mustache and
FP> need to seal the diving mask to their face. As I have not had a beard
FP> or mustache since I was 25 I can only quote hearsay. I have heard
FP> that a thick coat of Vaseline can be used in the mustache to get a
FP> seal. Messy but if it works ? With a beard out in the air something
FP> thicker and less prone to melt would be needed. Try lanolin or axle
FP> grease.
I'm a PADI certified scuba diver, with a mustache and full beard. A
good silicon mask seals over my mustache with no vaseline or anything
else. (A bad mask leaks like a sieve. )
--
Best regards,
Gary
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