Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on the Certification of Personal Protective Technologies.
Title:
Certifying personal protective technologies : improving worker safety / Committee on the Certification of Personal Protective Technologies, Board on Health Sciences Policy ; Howard J. Cohen and Catharyn T. Liverman, editors ; Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
Introduction -- Role of government agencies in conformity assessment -- Current PPT conformity assessment processes -- Impact and issues in conformity assessment for PPT -- Conformity assessment for non-respirator PPT: a risk-based framework -- Findings and recommendations -- Toward a comprehensive approach to safe and effective PPT for workers.
Summary:
When you purchase a product, you expect it to work. Construction workers on high-rise buildings need to be confident that their safety harnesses will arrest a fall. Firefighters need to know that their gloves and other protective equipment can withstand high temperatures. Healthcare workers administering highly toxic chemotherapy agents need to know that their gloves will withstand penetration. For personal protective technologies (PPT)--where the major purpose of the product is to protect the wearer against a hazard--a deficit in product effectiveness can mean injury, illness, or death. Examining the extent to which products meet specific performance or design criteria is the focus of conformity assessment efforts. For PPT conformity assessment, the ultimate goal is preventing worker illness, injury, or death from hazardous working conditions. This book focuses on conformity assessment for occupational PPT--ensuring that PPT are effective in preventing or reducing hazardous exposures or situations that workers face in their jobs. Because respirators already have an extensive testing and conformity assessment process in place, this book specifically addresses conformity assessment processes for other types of PPT, including eye and face protection, gloves, hearing protectors, and protective clothing.--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.