Recommendations

Cleaning your safety equipment with hand sanitiser (or hydroalcoholic gel): not such a good idea!

The barrier precautions recommended by the government have become part of our everyday lives. These precautionary principles also need to be applied to our safety equipment, such as gas detectors and category 3 PPE (fall protection harnesses and full or half facepiece respirators). In practice, these types of personal protective equipment are not always assigned to an individual, which explains why it is so important to wash and disinfect them after every use.

Definition: cleaning and disinfection

It is tempting to take shortcuts to save time, and you might think it is quicker and simpler to apply hand sanitiser to your personal protective equipment and gas detectors before reusing them. However, disinfection is not a substitute for cleaning, and vice versa.

Cleaning is an operation carried out to make the equipment clean by rubbing off, dispersing and removing all dirt.

Disinfection using a disinfectant (such as hand sanitiser, or hydroalcoholic gel) kills or inactivates any biological agents present through its antibacterial, antiviral or antifungal action.

In addition, poor cleaning or inadequate disinfection of safety equipment could potentially put you in danger, for example by reducing the sensitivity of the gas detection sensors.

Cleaning and disinfecting gas detectors

Gas detectors use electrochemical and catalytic sensors designed to be highly sensitive to specific dangerous gases. The performance of those sensors can be affected by the presence of other chemical compounds such as those found in some cleaning and antiseptic products.

The following active substances and compounds should not therefore be used:

Sodium hypochlorite (e.g.: liquid bleach, white spirit)
Limonene (e.g.: washing up liquid)
Silicone
Alcohol, which includes solutions & hydroalcoholic gels

If these compounds are used to wash and disinfect workers’ hands, you need to allow enough time for the active substance to evaporate before handling gas detectors.

Good practice:
For routine cleaning and disinfection of gas detectors, use soap and water, avoiding all the cleaning agents mentioned above, and wipe the detector with a soft, damp cloth. Accessories should be cleaned in the same way. A soft, fabric towel should be used to dry the outside of the equipment.

Cleaning and disinfecting fall protection harnesses

It is important to clean your harness to get rid of any dirt, corrosive substances and contaminants.

Good practice:

Remove any surface dirt with a sponge moistened with pure water.
Squeeze the sponge to get the water out (release it through pressure) and soak it in a mild water and soap solution.
Thoroughly rub the surface to be cleaned, so that you work up a thick foam, then wipe down with a clean cloth.
Hang it up to dry (natural drying), away from excessive heat sources and vapour, and do not leave it in the sun for long periods of time.

Please note that storage and protection after use are also important: the storage area must be clean, dry and not exposed to any corrosive odours or elements.

Source: Guide Miller I119.rev.D

Cleaning and disinfecting full facepiece respirators

Whether it is to be reused by yourself or another person, your respiratory protective equipment needs to be cleaned and disinfected after every use to avoid any risk of contamination (by COVID-19, for example), redness, itching, skin infections and so on.

By looking after your respirator, you will protect the elasticity of the airtight zone and prevent any premature wear and tear. However, as for gas detectors, certain active substances and compounds are to be avoided:

Sodium hypochlorite (e.g.: liquid bleach, white spirit)
Solvents such as acetone, alcohol, benzene and trichloroethylene

Good practice:

Remove the filter (if there is one)
Using a cloth and warm water (30°C max.) along with a mild detergent, clean the body of the respirator thoroughly, paying special attention to the sleeve.
Then soak the respirator in disinfectant for 15 minutes. For facepieces made of silicone, only soak for 10min because they tend to absorb cleaning and disinfectant products.
Rinse thoroughly with clear water.
Dry the respiratory protective equipment at a maximum temperature of 60°C, out of direct sunlight.
Store the respirator in a clean, disinfected bag or housing protected from dust, dirt and contamination, until the next time you need to use it.

If the complex protocol cannot be put in place, disinfecting wipes are available as a back-up solution.

Source: Dräger cleaning and disinfection solutions