Posted By Dave Merchant Full working BA is a perfectly acceptable and reliable form of PPE, as the fire service will attest. It should always be the last resort to enter a space with an irrespirable atmosphere, but when necessary it's legal and safe to use provided it's certified, tested and maintained workplace equipment (i.e. not intended for sports diving or emergency-only use) and the operators are trained.

Posted By FAH Let's try that again using both spell-check and grammar-check!!! Hi Jesu Daves response is a very good starting point to the answer to your question. Additionally, to clarify a very common misunderstanding - SCBA is NOT the same as an Emergency Life Support Apparatus [ELSA] in function even though they have many fundamental characteristics in common. In the EU, they are both classified as Respiratory Protective Equipment which is a specific category of PPE. Both are also considered as "complex" RPE. An ELSA is generally considered to have a duration of no more than 15 mins & is explicitly designed to be used solely as a means of preserving safe respiration whilst evacuating a danger area in an atmospheric emergency. An SCBA is intended to be used as "working" equipment and will be used to protect the individual against atmospheric problems throughout entering, working & leaving; regardless of the state of emergency. The appropriate legislation that may apply will depend very much on where you're based in the world and the nationality of the company that you're working for. Frank Hallett