Benchmarks set for worker-friendly comfort, safety and versatility

A new AVIVA range of half-mask respirators is being introduced by Scott Safety to optimise worker respiratory safety across diverse industries and workplace hazards found in Australia and New Zealand.

AVIVA is a global product range, engineered and manufactured in Australia and the UK to meet or exceed global respiratory protection standards and is the next step forward in half-mask respirator technology from Scott Safety, a global leader in the design and manufacture of respirators and personal protective equipment.

The mask features and design are the result of requests from customers for an innovative, extremely comfortable half-mask respirator of exceptional build quality and durability at an affordable price.

“The result is a safety product that workers want to wear – rather than have to wear – because it’s comfortable and easy to fit and breathe through, plus the innovative reflex seal allows you to talk while wearing the mask without compromising the face seal,” says Sanya Kranenburg, Product Manager, Scott Safety.

“To improve durability and ease of cleaning, the mask incorporates an over-moulded endo-skeleton covered in a unique Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) that gives silicone-like comfort without the limitations of silicone. The mask also incorporates a positive fit-check button that reassures wearers of a secure fit every time they don the mask,” says Ms Kranenburg.

“The focus on comfort and innovative features such as the integrated voice panel, reflex seal, soft head cradle and down-facing exhale valve cover means that workers are more likely to comply with safety requirements by wearing the mask throughout their day and keeping it in place, even when talking,” she said

Scott Safety’s wide range of filters and innovative mask design means that AVIVA offers protection against hazards including; particulates, dusts, mists, gases, vapours, bacteria and viruses across industries including; automotive and transport spray-painting, asbestos removal and construction dusts including silica, bulk handling and process engineering, agricultural and horticultural sprays and dusts, food and beverage processing, manufacturing and chemicals, metalworking and welding, mining and extractive industries, oil and gas processing, infrastructure and port processing facilities, water and waste water facilities and maintenance.

AVIVA comes in small, medium and large sizes and has been designed using the latest biometric data panels, to fit a high percentage of different face sizes and shapes globally, while also adjusting for facial expressions.

“Ensuring worker compliance with PPE requirements is a universal challenge, so a critical objective of Scott Safety’s AVIVA half-mask design was ensuring all-day wearing comfort, improved speech intelligibility and PPE integration so that workers keep their respirator fitted throughout their workday,” said Ms Kranenburg.

Some of the features that enhance AVIVA’s comfort and functionality include:

• Integrated leak-check device: AVIVA includes a Positive Fit-Check button, which, when pressed during exhaling, slightly inflates the mask, showing a good fit has been achieved. This allows the user to check the integrity of fit periodically throughout their workday or before each use.

• Goggle ‘Pinch’: The AVIVA half- mask incorporates a ‘Goggle Pinch’ feature which allows better integration with safety eyewear such as spectacles or goggles.

• Hybrid Reflex Seal: The unique face seal flexes on the face for increased comfort and fit, while also being easy to clean. The seal – which absorbs facial movements, enhancing protection even when talking – incorporates specially blended super-comfortable ‘silicone-like’ TPE material without the use of silicone, making the half-mask suitable to wear for extended periods.

• Extremely low breathing resistance: Through the use of extra-large diameter inhale and exhale ports, AVIVA eases the respiratory burden on the wearers’ lungs, while downward-facing exhale valves avoid misting to eyewear.

• Integrated voice panel: For enhanced voice intelligibility, the AVIVA mask includes a specially designed voice panel that also enhances safety and efficiency by enabling workers to be clearly heard by those around them without removing the mask.

• Comfortable cradle-style head harness: AVIVA features a soft TPE head cradle that is designed for use under headwear, minimising interference with helmets and other head-worn PPE.

• Wide range of filter options: AVIVA is supported by over 20 different filter options across three mask types, including AVIVA² – compatible with Pro² and Pro²FLEX filters; AVIVA 40 – compatible with Pro2000 DIN40 filters and AVIVA 50 – compatible with the Scott Safety PF251 particulate filter used with the T-POWER PAPR system. This extensive range of filters protects against particulates, gases and combinations of these hazards. In addition, Scott Safety filters also fit full-face masks and PAPR systems for versatility as the need for higher levels of respiratory protection increases.

• Ready-to-go protection: AVIVA is available in three sizes (small/ medium/ large) and a variety of pack options including convenient READY-PAK’s that include respirator and filters in a convenient, resealable tub, ideal for transport and storage.

Each year thousands of workers suffer breathing or lung problems thought to be caused or made worse by their working environments, says Scott Safety. One of the industry’s biggest issues is poorly fitted, uncomfortable equipment, which discourages workers from using their PPE correctly, with typical worker comments such as:

• “It’s uncomfortable”

• “It interferes with my safety goggles”
• “It restricts my breathing”
• “It’s hard to talk and my colleagues can’t hear me”
• “It makes it awkward to work”

Scott Safety is working to eradicate these problems by developing a half-mask that’s easy and comfortable to use, while providing complete respiratory protection, low breathing resistance and increased comfort and fit security.

As an added benefit, the mask will be manufactured in western Sydney where a state-of-the-art dedicated assembly cell has been installed complete with programmable component insertion and leak-testing equipment to ensure that all AVIVA masks that leave the Scott Safety factory deliver the quality and performance that workers expect from a respiratory market leader.