Source avec lien : The National Academies Press, 2022.
En novembre 2020, le comité des National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine s’est réuni pour discuter des questions relatives à la protection respiratoire aux États-Unis. Plus précisément, le comité a analysé le besoin d’une protection respiratoire appropriée pour les travailleurs qui ne sont pas couverts par un programme de prévention. Il a aussi pris en considération la situation des citoyens qui pourraient être exposés à des substances dangereuses par inhalation dans leur vie quotidienne. Dans l’analyse du contexte professionnel, les experts ont constaté que le National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approuve seulement les appareils respiratoires à utiliser dans le cadre d’un programme de prévention ce qui ne permet pas d’assurer une protection égale à tous les travailleurs. Également, les expositions à des fumées des feux de forêt et à des aérosols infectieux, devenues courantes de nos jours, sont difficiles à évaluer ce qui demande des exigences et des normes applicables en milieu de travail. Le comité a défini un cadre général de surveillance et d’orientation qui prévoit les aspects touchant la conformité et la disponibilité des appareils respiratoires, les autorités responsables, l ’évaluation des risques, ainsi que l’accès à l’information et à la formation. (résumé tiré du bulletin Tour de veille / CNESST)
Individuals in the United States and Americans abroad are exposed to inhalation hazards from a variety of sources, and these hazards can have both short- and long-term adverse effects on health. For example, exposure to wildfire smoke, which contains particulate matter and toxic chemicals, can lead to respiratory problems, increased risk for heart attacks, and other adverse health outcomes. Individuals also may be exposed to airborne infectious agents through aerosol or droplet transmission, and as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the individual and public health consequences of these exposures can be severe. Storms, floods, and hurricanes can increase exposure to moisture-driven hazards, such as mold, and to accidental releases from production facilities or transport vehicles that may result in chemical exposures. The current regulatory system is focused primarily on ensuring access to respiratory protection in occupational settings characterized by well-defined hazards and employer-employee relationships. With this narrow regulatory focus, the respiratory protection needs of the public and many workers are not being met. As climate change increases the incidence and severity of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, and other phenomena that impact air quality and human health, it is imperative that the United States ensure that the respiratory protection needs of the public and all workers are met. Recognizing the urgent need to address the gaps in the nation’s ability to meet the respiratory protection needs of the public and workers without workplace respiratory protection programs, this report makes recommendations for a framework of responsibilities and authorities that would provide a unified and authoritative source of information and effective oversight for the development, approval, and use of respiratory protection. See press release at https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2022/02/systems-for-providing-protection-from-inhalation-hazards-should-extend-to-the-public-and-broader-groups-of-workers-says-new-report