Measure of Work Performance Decrement Due to Respirators

Abstract

Possible work decrements caused by respirator usage were examined. A battery of physical, cognitive and psychomotor tasks were used to investigate the effects of respirator wear on twelve subjects. A repeated measures experimental design was used to study the effects of three types of respirators: a disposable dust mask, an air purifying half-mask and a full-face airline. Performance while wearing a mask was compared to the control condition without a respirator. The psychomotor task test methods appear to be the best indicators of respiratory effects on work performance decrement. A steadiness task showed a 31% decrement for the full-face respirator. The One-Hole Test, which includes a number of measurement variables, indicated an average movement time decrement of 16%. The other One-Hole Test indicators also showed decrements, but were lower and not statistically significant. The results from the physical work task of bicycle riding indicated approximately a 10% increase in oxygen consumption with the half and full face masks, supporting previous physiological findings. The results indicate that the respirators did not significantly affect the performance of cognitive tasks. In general, respirators can be shown to produce an increase in oxygen consumption for physical tasks and decrements in psychomotor performance with regard to hand movement speed and steadiness.