The Effect of Wearing Different Types of Respirators on Postural Stability and Comfort

Respirators are commonly used to protect workers against workplace airborne contaminants, but this equipment may become a safety hazard by creating discomfort, disorientation and postural instability. Although postural stability is critical to workers, especially those working near moving objects or on surfaces where a loss of balance may become life threatening, little attention has been given to the effect of respirators on wearers’ postural stability. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of wearing a half-mask respirator, a full-face respirator, a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and no-respirator on postural stability, using computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). The subjects’ perception of comfort was also assessed. Over 60% of the subjects reported that wearing a respirator was uncomfortable and 20% felt that they had difficulty balancing while wearing the SCBA. The half-mask respirators, full-face respirators or SCBA did not produce any differences in postural stability over a baseline (no-respirator). However, the subjects expressed concerns with comfort.