You must make sure that respiratory protective equipment is suitable for the hazards in the area where you are working. You can then decide the types of equipment you need to use (see the next section). To find out whether the equipment is suitable, you should ask:
- Is the atmosphere safe to breathe without respiratory protective equipment?; and
- Is the substance contaminating the air a dust, gas or vapour? Advice may also be available from experts. The section on hazardous substances gives advice on examination of such substances.
