This document discusses personal protective equipment (PPE) for hazardous materials response. It describes different types of protective clothing including structural firefighting gear, high-temperature suits, and chemical protective clothing. It also covers respiratory protection types and EPA protection levels A-D. The document stresses that no single PPE ensemble protects against all hazards and that climate/health concerns like heat stress must be considered when choosing equipment. Proper training, medical monitoring, and maintenance programs are essential to PPE safety.

2. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Equipment
– Personnel must be protected from the
hazards at the scene
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 Personal Protective
Equipment
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 Respiratory Protection
• NFPA 472 Standard for Professional Competence
of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents

3. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Designed to protect the
• Skin
• Eyes
• Face
• Hands
• Feet
• Body
• Head
• Respiratory System

4. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Must protect the wearer from
• Heat
• Hazardous materials
– Contacting skin, eyes
– No single ensemble can protect against all
hazards
• Must be concerned when choosing PPE
• Firefighter turn out gear
– Easily penetrated by fumes and vapors

5. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– NFPA 472 identifies three types of protective
clothing:
• Structural fire-fighting protective clothing
• High-temperature protective clothing
• Chemical-protective clothing (CPC)

6. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Clothing
• Protects wearer from
– Heat
– Moisture
– Ordinary hazards associated with structural fire fighting
» Helmet
» Coat
» Pants
» Boots
» Gloves
» PASS Device
» Hood

7. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Clothing
• Provides limited protection against hazardous
materials
• Neither corrosive-resistant nor vapor-tight
• Any liquids can soak through
• Acids and bases can dissolve (deteriorate) the
outer layers
• Gases can penetrate the garment

8. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Clothing
• Hazardous materials may permeate any protective
clothing
– Pass through at the molecular level
– Remain in the protective equipment
» Subjects the wearer to repeated exposures
» May render it unsafe for use

9. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Clothing
• Never clean turn-out gear at
– Home
– Public laundries
– Any place that they might mix with other clothing
• Never wear it into
– Sleeping areas
– Living areas

10. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Clothing
• Commonly used at hazardous materials incidents
when the following conditions are met:
– Contact with splashes of extremely hazardous materials
is unlikely
– Total atmospheric concentrations do not contain high
levels of chemicals that are toxic to the skin
– There are no adverse effects from chemical exposure to
small areas of unprotected skin
– There is a chance of fire or there is a fire and this
type of protection is appropriate

11. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– High-Temperature Protective Clothing
• Designed to protect the wearer from short-term
high-temperature exposures
– Heat levels exceed the capabilities of standard fire-
fighting protective clothing
• Provides limited use in dealing with chemical
hazards

12. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– High-Temperature Protective Clothing
• Proximity Suits
– Permit close approach to fire for
» Rescue
» Fire-Suppression
» Property Conservation
– Aircraft rescue
– Flammable liquid fires

13. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– High-Temperature Protective Clothing
• Fire-Entry Suits
– Allow a person to work in total flame environments for
short periods of time
» Short-duration and close-proximity protection
• Radiant heat as high as 2,000
o
F
– Each suit has a specific use
» Not interchangeable
– Not designed to protect the wearer against chemical
hazards

14. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– High-Temperature Protective Clothing
• Limitations
– Contributes to heat stress
– Bulky
– Limits wearer’s vision
– Limits wearer’s mobility
– Limits communications
– Requires frequent and extensive training
– Expensive to purchase

15. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Purpose is to shield or isolate individuals from the
chemical, physical and biological hazards
• NFPA recognizes two types:
– Liquid splash protective clothing
– Vapor protective clothing
• CPC is made from a variety of different materials
– None of which protects against all types of hazards

16. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Manufacturer must provide a list of chemicals for
which the suit is effective
• May be purchased as a single or multi-piece
garment

17. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Encapsulating
– Designed to completely cover the responder including
the respiratory equipment
• Nonencapsulating
– Designed to provide protection in conjunction with the
wearer’s respiratory protection
– Attached or detachable:
» Hood
» Gloves
» Boots

18. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Designed to be impermeable to moisture
– Prohibits heat transfer from body through evaporation
– Causes a safety concern to the wearer
» Hot environments
» Extended work times
» Strenuous work

19. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• The effectiveness of CPC can be reduced by three
actions:
– Permeation
– Degradation
– Penetration

20. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Permeation
– Occurs when a chemical passes through a fabric on a
molecular level
– Typically no visible evidence of chemicals permeating a
material
– Manufacturers provide charts of breakthrough time

21. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Degradation
– Chemical Degradation
– Occurs when the characteristics of a material are
altered through contact with chemical substances
» Cracking
» Brittleness
– Most common observations
» Discoloration
» Swelling
» Loss of strength

22. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Penetration
– Occurs when a hazardous material enters an opening or
a puncture in a protective material
» Rips
» Tears
» Cuts
» Open zippers
» Unsealed seams

23. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Service Life
– May be labeled for:
» Reusable
• Multiuse
• Repeated use
» Limited Use
• Not disposable
» Disposable
• For one-time use

24. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• OSHA identifies the following emergency
response operations that may require the use of a
CPC
– Site Survey
– Rescue
– Spill Mitigation
– Emergency Monitoring
– Decontamination
– Evacuation

25. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Written Management Program
– Must reference 29 CFR 1910.120 HAZWOPER
» Policy statements
» Procedures
» Guidelines
– Copies must be made to all personnel who may use CPC
– Two basic objectives:
» Protect the wearer from safety and health hazards
» Prevent injury to the wearer

26. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Written Management Program
– Should include the following elements:
» Hazard Identification
» Medical Monitoring
» Environmental Surveillance
» Selection, Care, Testing and Maintenance
» TRAINING

27. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Liquid-Splash Protective Clothing
– Designed to protect users from chemical liquid splashes
– Does not protect against vapors or gases
» Encapsulating
• Single, one-piece garment
• Boots and gloves are sometimes separate
» Nonencapsulating
• One-piece coverall or individual pieces
– May be used in conjunction with respiratory protection

28. Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Clothing Type
– Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC)
• Vapor-Protective Clothing
– Designed to protect the wearer against chemical vapors
or gases
– Offers a greater level of protection than splash
protective suits
– Must be worn with positive pressure SCBA or SAR
– Tested against 21 challenge chemicals

29. Personal Protective Equipment
• Respiratory Protection Types
– Atmosphere-Supplying Respirators
• Provides air from a source other than the
surrounding atmosphere
– Positive-Pressure SCBA
» Closed-Circuit
» Open-Circuit
» Supplied Air Respirator

30. Personal Protective Equipment
• Respiratory Protection Types
– Particulate-Removing Filters
• Protects the user from particulates
– Including airborne diseases
• Absolute
– Use screening to remove particles from the air
– Excludes the particles that are larger than the filter’s
pores
• Nonabsolute
– Contain pores larger than the particles

31. Personal Protective Equipment
• Respiratory Protection Types
– Vapor and Gas – Removing Filters
• Designed to protect against specific vapors
• Catalyst
– Substance that influences the rate of chemical reaction
• Sorbent
– Material that absorbs or adsorbs

32. Personal Protective Equipment
• Respiratory Protection Programs
– Defined in a written document
• Facepiece Fit Testing
– Annually
– Medical clearance is required first
• Medical Testing
– Annual physical

33. Personal Protective Equipment
• EPA Levels of Protection
– Level A
• Highest level of protection
– Vapors
– Gases
– Mists
– Particles
• Fully encapsulation suit

34. Personal Protective Equipment
• EPA Levels of Protection
– Level B
• Garment that includes an SCBA and provides
protection against splashes
• Worn with a high level of respiratory protection
• Encapsulating
• Nonencapsulating

35. Personal Protective Equipment
• EPA Levels of Protection
– Level C
• Splash-protecting garment
• Low level of respiratory protection
– Air-purifying device
– Level D
• Work uniforms, street clothing, coveralls

36. Personal Protective Equipment
• Climate Concerns and Health Issues
– Heat Disorders
• Heat Stroke
• Heat Exhaustion
• Heat Cramps
• Heat Rashes
• Heat Fatigue

37. Personal Protective Equipment
• Climate Concerns and Health Issues
– Heat-Exposure Prevention
• Fluid Consumption
• Body Ventilation
• Body Cooling
• Rest Areas
• Work Rotation
• Proper Liquids
• Physical Fitness

38. Personal Protective Equipment
• Climate Concerns and Health Issues
– Cold Disorders
• Hypothermia
• Trench Foot
• Frostbite

39. Personal Protective Equipment
• Climate Concerns and Health Issues
– Medical Monitoring
• Required by NFPA 471
• Conducted:
– Before responders wear PPE
– After they are decontaminated
» Vital signs
» Hydration
» Skin
» Mental Status
» Medical History
– Post medical follow-up is also required

40. Personal Protective Equipment
Works Cited
N.F.P.A. 472 “Standard for Competence of responders to Hazardous
Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents” 2008 Edition
N.F.P.A 1001 “Standard for Professional Firefighter Qualifications” 2008 Edition
N.F.P.A. 1561 “Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System” 2008
Edition
O.S.H.A 29 CFR 1910.120 “Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response”
U.S. DOT “Emergency Response Guidebook” 2008 Edition