An individual means of protection is specialized tools or equipment, the main purpose of which is to ensure human safety in the event of a threat from various poisonous, radioactive, bacterial and other means that can be harmful to life and health. At the same time, not everyone knows what such means are and where they are used in principle.
What are they like?
Depending on the purpose, such funds are divided into means to ensure the safety of the skin, as well as the respiratory system. There is also a difference in the principle of how an individual protective equipment ensures safety - these are insulating and filtering tools.
The principle of filtration in this case is that the air that is required to maintain normal functioning of the human body, in the case of passing through specialized protective equipment (for example, through a layer of activated carbon) is completely cleaned of any harmful impurities.
Insulating devices provide a complete isolation of the human body from possible environmental influences using specialized materials that are completely impervious to air and various harmful impurities that it contains.
Preparation method
There is also a difference in the way with which technology an individual protective equipment is made - is it simple, improvised or industrial.
The accumulation of the required number of individual protective equipment for industrial production, as well as the preliminary preparation of the simplest protective equipment made from various materials at hand, is quite a responsible job.
Storage
It is worth noting that the extremely important event in this case is the organization of storage of protective equipment, because storage facilities should be brought as close as possible to those conditions that are present at the place of work of the facility’s employees, and if necessary, each employee should be provided as soon as possible personal protective equipment is one of the most important rules. Among other things, the storage conditions of this property must comply with the requirements, as well as ensure its constant technical condition.
Basically, funds are stored in specialized boxes in disassembled form. Thus, gas mask boxes, which are sealed with a special rubber stopper and cap, lie on the bottom of the box, after which bags and front parts are laid on the boxes. This property should be inspected periodically, and if necessary, all detected malfunctions should be eliminated as soon as possible. It is worth noting the fact that a qualified specialist should be present at the facility, who will monitor how individual protective equipment (GOST) is stored - this is also quite an important requirement. Such a specialist must fully know all the rules for storing such property.
Provision
In the event that there is a threat, the personnel should be provided with personal protective equipment as soon as possible, after which they should be kept in constant readiness. The personnel of various economic entities, as well as employees and workers, are provided with such funds directly at the enterprises of which they are employees. The rest of the non-working population, if desired, should receive them at their place of residence or study.
Filter masks
To provide effective respiratory protection for adults, filter masks such as GP-4u, GP-5, GP-7 and others can be used.
In accordance with the rules of what personal protective equipment (GOST) should be, the GP-5 gas mask is a specialized box and a front part. In addition, the kit of this device includes a specialized box equipped with anti-fog films, and a bag. Activated carbon is used as a filter element.
In terms of size, the GP-5 box has almost two times smaller dimensions than the GP-4, since its height is approximately 70 mm, while its diameter reaches 107 mm.
In accordance with how personal and personal protective equipment should look like, the face of the GP-5 gas mask uses a standard rubber helmet mask with fairings and glasses, as well as a special valve box with exhalation and inhalation valves. The gas mask box must be screwed directly onto the valve box.
How is the growth of a helmet mask determined?
Helmets-masks, which are used in the gas mask of the GP-5 model, have five growth variations, which must be applied on both sides of the helmet and indicated by the Arabic numeral enclosed in a circle.
In order to determine the exact growth of the helmet-mask, you need to measure the size of the head around the perimeter through points such as the cheek, chin and crown.
Head measurement is carried out using a special soft centimeter tape, and the obtained measurement results should be rounded to 0.5 cm.
How to check serviceability?
In accordance with the standards of how personal protective equipment is used, verification should be carried out as follows:
- Gas mask gets out of the bag.
- The integrity of the glasses of the glasses and the helmet-mask is checked.
- The gas box is carefully inspected for the presence of various holes, dents, rusts, the presence of valves and their condition are checked.
After conducting a detailed external examination, it will be necessary to reassemble the gas mask and check how tight it is. To do this, a person must wear a helmet mask, completely close the box opening with a rubber stopper, or simply hold it in the palm of your hand, and then take a deep breath. In the event that after that the air does not pass under the helmet at all, the gas mask is in good condition. If any malfunctions or lack of components were found, such personal protective equipment at workplaces should be completely replaced.
How to wear a filtering gas mask?
In accordance with how personal protective equipment should be used, the filter gas mask can be worn in three main provisions:
- Ready. It is used only if there is an immediate threat of a chemical, bacteriological or nuclear attack.
- Marching. It provides for wearing a gas mask over the right shoulder on the left side if there is currently no threat of an enemy attack.
- Battle.
When to wear a gas mask?
Initially, the use of a gas mask is envisaged in the process of performing various works associated with the risk of damage to the respiratory tract, or in the production process with a similar danger.
Also, in accordance with the use of individual technical means of protection, the gas mask must be worn in advance in accordance with the order of the senior chief or immediately by the signals “Radiation hazard”, “Gases” or “Chemical alarm”.
Skin protection
There are also specialized personal protective equipment against current and other injuries, which are designed to ensure the safety of clothing, shoes, open areas of the body and various items of equipment. Among other things, they can completely retain a-particles, and also significantly reduce the effect of b-particles. Depending on the principle of protective action, such agents are divided into filtering and isolating.
Insulating
Insulating agents are made from specialized airtight materials. It is mainly used elastic, as well as resistant to low temperatures rubberized fabric. They can be leaky or leakproof, and the latter allow you to completely close the whole body and provide protection even from the drops of OM or vapors, while leaky means provide protection exclusively from drops of OM.
Insulating protective equipment should also include specialized protective clothing and a combined arms protective kit, as well as special footwear. Personal protective equipment of this type is used in order to ensure the safety of personnel in the process of carrying out work on the terrain affected by various toxic substances.
Filtering
Filtering equipment is even ordinary linen and clothing if they are soaked with a special soap-oil emulsion. Basically, such means are only the primary provision of protection until access to specialized uniforms is obtained.
Protective kit
The protective kit includes protective stockings, gloves and a raincoat.
The protective raincoat of this kit is characterized by the presence of sides, sleeves, a hood and two floors, and is also equipped with fasteners, ribbons and straps, with which you can use this raincoat in a variety of variations. The fabric from which such a cloak is made allows to achieve the maximum degree of protection against radioactive and toxic substances, as well as various bacterial agents or light radiation. The weight of such a raincoat is approximately 1.6 kg.
Rubber protective gloves have shutters made of special impregnated fabric, and at the same time can be summer or winter. In addition to providing protection against all kinds of exhaust fumes, they are also personal protective equipment against electric shock. Summer gloves are five-fingered, while winter gloves are two-fingered, and are also equipped with a special insulated liner fastened with buttons.
Stockings are made of special rubberized fabric, while it is worth noting the fact that their soles are reinforced with rubber or canvas tarpaulin. Stockings with tarpaulin osoyuzka are distinguished by the presence of two or three ribbons in order to ensure reliable fastening to the leg, as well as one in order to be fixed on the waist belt. Stockings with rubber osoyuzka are fixed on the legs with straps, while the ribbon is used for fastening on the waist belt.
Thus, personal protective equipment of the Ministry of Emergencies and other types today are used in almost all areas of human activity, from minor repairs to the danger of infection with various substances. Many people don’t even suspect that at their enterprise or at their office there is a whole set of such equipment that may someday save their life in the event of a critical situation, while others use personal protective equipment in the process of carrying out his routine work, even without considering them something special.