NIOSH PPT Meeting to Offer PPE Updates
Breakout sessions during the March 2-3 stakeholder meeting in Pittsburgh will detail current research on protective clothing performance and help NIOSH do better at warning end users about counterfeit respirators. Dr. John Howard will be the keynote speaker.
Dr. John Howard, the NIOSH director, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the March 2-3 third stakeholder meeting hosted by NIOSH's Personal Protective Technology Program, according to a recent announcement from Les Boord, the program's manager. The meeting will take place at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Airport.
Poster sessions and four breakout sessions are on the agenda. While the posters will highlight the program's research, standards development, and respirator certification information, the sessions are focused on four areas in which manufacturers and safety managers alike may be particularly interested:
- Session 1: Pushing the Limits: Designing the Next Generation of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs)
- Session 2: PPE Selection, Interoperability and Compatibility Issues: Dysfunction or Co-Function. Boord's announcement said this discussion "will focus on a 'systems level' approach in providing full body protection to exposure hazards including inhalation, dermal, and physical. The complexities in selection of personal protective equipment such as protective clothing, protective ensembles (garments, boots, and gloves), respirators, and other mission essential equipment will be discussed."
- Session 3: Protective Clothing Technologies, Materials and Performance Criteria, This one will detail current research on chemical permeation, nanoparticle penetration, heat stress, stored thermal energy, ensemble testing, and other protective clothing and equipment issues.
- Session 4: Informing Stakeholders of Counterfeit Respirators and Misrepresentations of Approval: Buyer Beware. Participants will have an opportunity to share ideas for how NIOSH can do better at warning end users about such products.
The hotel (phone 724-899-1234) is located at 1111 Airport Blvd., adjacent to the airport terminal; a block of rooms has been held for the nights of March 1-3. Meeting registration begins at 7:15 a.m. March 2.
To register for the meeting electronically, visit this link. The announcement indicated stakeholders also can listen to the meeting and view presentations remotely through Microsoft Live Meeting.