Mk. Salazar et al., An evaluation of factors affecting hazardous waste workers' use of respiratory protective equipment, AIHAJ, 62(2), 2001, pp. 236-245
The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of a group of haz
ardous waste workers about their workplace hazards and to understand their
beliefs and attitudes about the use of respiratory protective equipment (RP
E). There were two phases of data collection: (1) interviews to identify fa
ctors that influence respirator use and (2) a written survey to evaluate th
e importance of these factors. This article describes the findings from the
written survey completed by 255 eligible respondents (return rate = 46.5%,
255/548). Subjects used a weighting system to score 18 identified factors
that influence the use of BPE. Scores were compared according to type of re
spirator, frequency of use and associated health symptoms. The factors that
had the most positive influence on respirator use were concern about work
exposure, fit-testing, and training. The most negative influences were comm
unication, personal comfort, effect on vision: structural environment, and
fatigue. More frequent users (once per month or more) were significantly mo
re likely to view fit-testing, health effects, and effects on vision negati
vely than were less frequent users. Persons who reported health symptoms as
sociated with respirator use had more negative scores than persons without
health symptoms. Workers categorized as laborers were more likely to be fre
quent respirator users and to wear supplied-air respirators, and were signi
ficantly more likely to view vulnerability to disease negatively than were
other worker groups. The findings from this study indicate that respiratory
protection programs must extend beyond training and education; to be maxim
ally effective, health professionals must be responsive to the specific con
cerns of the workers.