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fearghalg  
#1 Posted : 26 March 2014 11:05:51(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
fearghalg

I am looking into practical RPE for our chicken catchers to wear whilst on the farms catching chickens. I am aware that poultry dust is treated as a substance hazardous to health under COSHH Regs. For those of you working in this industry you are aware of the process in catching chickens/depopulating sheds and the environments they work in. At present we supply FFP2 masks which some wear and others don't. They say they cause heat rash, fatigue, they are not suitable for the tasks they undertake, facial hair, spectacle wearers etc. We have tried all sorts of masks but none seem to suit. These guys usually work a 7 hr shift and its a fast paced strenuous activity. So as per the regs I am looking into alternatives like JSP powercap and 3m products. There is a big cost associatyed with these kits along with the management and maintenane. For those of you working in this industry what route did you go down with the provision of RPE. Any similiar experiences etc? Some information on what others in the industry are doing would be great.
A Kurdziel  
#2 Posted : 26 March 2014 15:09:21(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

If your risk assent says that there is risk to your employees from the poultry muck( and I think that there is- when our staff go into poultry houses they wear RPE) they you must identify suitable protective for them. Your issue seems to be 1. Resistance to wearing RPE by the staff 2. Them having to wear it for long periods of time( a whole 7 hour shift). You will need to talk to your employees and find out what sort of equipment fits them best. It is quite likely that different employees will find that different masks suit them, so you might end up with a variety of masks in use. If you are intending to use a negative pressure face plate it must be face fit tested, to make sure it fits that individual. Ask you supplier to bring along a range of mask for them to try out. If you decide that your staff need use this RPE then you have a duty not only to supply it to them to make sure that they use it correctly. Positive pressure face mask like the ones you mentioned are more expensive to start with but they have a number of advantages, including the fact that they do not need face fit testing. Remember if you go for the disposable face mask option you will need to replace it at least every shift if not twice a shift ( depending on the conditions that they’re working under) so in the long term a powered respirator might make more sense. The newer ones are lighter that the older designs, so again see your supplier and ask them what they have. It think it is unrealistic to expect someone to work a whole shift wearing RPE and you will need to give the guys some more breaks which might reduce the level of reluctance to use the RPE.
Bruce Sutherland  
#3 Posted : 27 March 2014 23:12:10(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Bruce Sutherland

wow .. a very long time ago I was one of HM Insp of Agriculture and we were talking about this then... I think you need to do the short sharp shock to the company. In simple terms - and ones that the industry will understand but not necessarily medically correct this is the same as Farmers lung. The diseases are horrible and they know that Having caught chickens then I am not sure how much benefit a powered mask is given the extra weight Is there a way of dampening down without stressing the birds? They are going for slaughter and it appear you are not using a harvester so is slightly soggy feet a major problem? I assume that the litter is mucked at the end of each cycle for disease control and therefore dampening is irrelevant. And then it comes down to the "no boots or hats no work" management sorry
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