3M
Respiratory protection is the one purchase on this site where getting the size wrong makes the product worthless. A half face respirator works by sealing to the face. A seal that leaks provides no protection at all, regardless of what cartridge is fitted.
3M is the range most Australian remediation contractors standardise on, largely because the cartridges and the face pieces are easy to source and easy to match.
The range covers the 3M 7500 series half face respirator in small (7501), medium (7502) and large (7503); 3M 60921 organic vapour and P100 cartridge and filter pairs; and the 3M maroon SPP 40 cm pad for timber denibbing.
How to choose
Size to the wearer, not to the crew. Small, medium and large exist because faces differ. Buying a box of one size and handing them out is how a compliant-looking crew ends up unprotected.
Cartridge type follows the hazard. The 60921 is a combined organic vapour and P100 particulate cartridge. Solvent work and mould remediation are different exposures — check what you are actually working with rather than assuming one cartridge covers it.
Date the cartridge when you open it. Organic vapour cartridges begin loading from first exposure to air, not from first use. An undated cartridge in a toolbox is one nobody can vouch for.
Fit testing is not optional on a paid job. Facial hair at the seal line defeats a half face respirator entirely. That is worth saying to a crew before it is worth saying to a regulator.
Related: Safety & PPE, Mould Remediation, Meth Decontamination and Floor Pads.
