Why Eye And Respiratory Protection Are Super Important In Regards To The Avian Flu
September 6th, 2008

Breathing infected dust can transmit avian influenza and other transferable diseases; therefore poultry workers should wear respirators. Respirators that are equipped with filters or cartridges are known as air-purifying respirators. These types are the most sensible and suitable choices for poultry workers to wear when there is a chance they could encounter infected birds or during there regular daily activities in poultry barns.

While a large number of respirators can protect poultry workers, they will not be really useful unless all of the elements of a written respiratory protection program are ensued. For example, workers should be provided with respirator training to and they should also be fit tested for tight-fitting face pieces to make certain a secure and comfortable face seal is maintained. Also, every respiratory protection program needs to have an administrator who is accountable for overseeing the program implementation and who can answer questions workers might have about using their respirator.

Any workers who are at risk of extended direct or indirect exposure to any avian influenza virus in an enclosed area should always be included in a respiratory protection program.Protection for the eyes will help to diminish direct exposure of the eyes to infected dust and aerosols. It will also aid the workers in preventing them from touching their eyes with tainted fingers. To stop the mucous membranes of the eyes from being exposed to the avian influenza virus, poultry workers should wear safety goggles or a respirator that has a complete face piece, hood, helmet, or loose-fitting face piece. If a worker wears safety goggles, they should be non-vented or, at the very least, indirectly vented.If a worker is at a lower risk of being exposed to the avian virus, they may opt to wear a good fitting indirectly vented safety goggle with an anti-fog coating. However, it is worth noting that these goggles are not airtight, and as a result, they will not totally thwart exposures to airborne material. Goggles that are directly vented and safety glasses will allow a limited amount of protection, but are not suggested for protection against fine particles, splashes, or aerosols. They will as such not be useful in situations when workers will be exposed to infected birds.

Workers who need to wear prescription lenses should wear eye protection that has the correction built into the safety lenses of the protective eyewear, has lens inserts, or can be fitted over regular glasses without compromising their eye or respiratory protection. Regular prescription glasses cannot be worn with full face-piece respirators; however, they can be worn with some kinds of powered air-purifying respirators and some styles of goggles. For goggles to be effective though, they must fit tightly. This is especially true from the corners of the eyes across the brow. Also, the protective eyewear worn should never interfere with the workers vision by upsetting the proper placement of the prescription lenses. Contact lenses are often a good option as they can be worn with goggles, safety glasses, or any respirator. This allows the worker to have the full vision they need while staying safe.

Because some goggles can change how the half- face piece respirator fits, eye protection should be fitted along with the respirator. To make sure that the eye protection will not get in the way of the face-piece seal, it should be worn when half-face piece respirators are fit tested as well as when workers carry out seal checks each time they dress in the respirator.Care should always be carried out when removing eye protection to make sure that tainted equipment does not come in contact with the eyes or other mucous membranes. When the proper eye protection is used, it will help to Eye protection that is properly selected and used will help thwart the contraction of conjunctivitis (redness, swelling and pain in the eyes and eyelids). Poultry workers who are exposed to birds infected with avian influenza should always contact their doctor at the first symptoms of conjunctivitis.

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