NIOSH warns of faults with SCSRs used for escape
NIOSH warns of faults with SCSRs used for escape
A type of self-contained self-rescuer (SCSRs) commonly used in American industry may not provide adequate protection, according to a warning from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati.
NIOSH recently issued an alert to inform users of CSE Corp. SR-100 SCSRs, approved by NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) with approval number TC-13F-239, of a problem found in some of these SCSRs, which were manufactured prior to June 7, 1994. The problem could prevent them from providing effective protection.
MSHA reported to NIOSH Dec. 8, 1999, that a miner who either donned, or attempted to don, an SR-100 SCSR during a brief electrical fire in a mine, suffered smoke inhalation requiring medical treatment at a hospital. A deteriorated breathing tube on the apparatus that was opened by the miner prevented the unit from providing adequate protection from the smoky atmosphere. The SR-100 SCSR opened by the miner during the mine fire was manufactured in 1991.
Other self-rescuers checked
In an effort to determine if this was an isolated incident, MSHA opened additional SR-100 SCSRs at the mine where the fire occurred and identified three other units containing breathing tubes in an unusable condition.
Subsequently, 328 SR-100 SCSRs originally issued to MSHA inspectors were opened by MSHA and NIOSH at NIOSH’s Pittsburgh Research Laboratory Dec. 10, 1999. Of these 328, six more were found to have breathing tubes in an unusable condition. To date, 10 SR-100 SCSRs manufactured from 1990 through January 1993 have been found to have unusable breathing tubes.
The breathing tube material was changed in June 1994 from natural rubber to silicone. None of the units manufactured after that date, containing the newer breathing tube material, were found to be in an unusable condition but there has been no finding at this time that the use of natural rubber caused the problem.
The cause of the problem observed on the older breathing tube material has not yet been conclusively determined, NIOSH says.
The manufacturer’s preliminary determination is that exposure to temperatures above the recommended limit of 130 F has caused deterioration of the breathing tubes. The breathing tube is enclosed within the sealed case of the unit, which may not be opened prior to actual use, and there have been no observable differences in the external condition of units found with an unusable breathing tube. Therefore, any CSE SR-100 SCSRs manufactured before June 7, 1994, may contain this critical safety defect and all are subject to corrective action to ensure that they have not been similarly affected.
NIOSH says users of CSE SR-100 SCSR devices manufactured prior to June 7, 1994, should either have the devices retrofitted by the manufacturer, replace each device with a CSE unit manufactured after June 7, 1994, or obtain other approved SCSRs.
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