Selecting the correct filter for respiratory protection equipment can be the difference between effective safety and dangerous exposure to airborne hazards.
Damian Johnson wants users to trust what he develops. And given he has developed a product that’s never been recalled in the two decades it’s been in circulation, it’s not an unreasonable request.
As the senior design engineer for CleanSpace Technology, a specialist in respiratory protection, Johnson possesses an unbridled passion for manufacturing filters that stand up to airborne hazards, every time.
If his singular determination isn’t reason alone to have faith in Johnson and CleanSpace, he believes the product can single-handedly clear all doubts.
“Our filters stand the test of time and use,” Johnson told Safe to Work. “And that’s possible because we have an extremely unique level of rigorous manufacturing process control.”
This specific level of control Johnson refers to is unique to CleanSpace and the Australian market, with the company harnessing in-house capabilities to develop its filters from scratch.
“Because we don’t outsource anything, we understand all the finer details,” Johnson said. “We basically make them and also check them extensively, so we actually know everything about our filters right from conception up until they’ve served their purpose.”
But, according to Johnson’s CleanSpace colleague Jon Imms, designing a high-quality filter is only part of the equation – selecting the right one for the job is just as critical.
As the company’s global technical product director, Imms has a clear understanding of the complex tasks workers and safety managers are often faced with when determining which respiratory filter is appropriate for a specific hazard.
Industrial environments can expose workers to a range of airborne contaminants, from fine dust and particulates to hazardous fumes and vapours, and without a clear understanding of those risks, choosing the correct respiratory protection becomes significantly more difficult.
Effective respiratory protection depends on understanding the specific contaminants present in workplaces such as mine sites and matching them with the appropriate filtration technology.
“Simply wearing a respirator is not enough if the filter itself is not suited to the hazard,” Imms told Safe to Work.
“If you don’t have the right filter, you might as well not wear your respirator.”
To help remove some of that uncertainty, CleanSpace provides a filter selection service that works directly with companies to assess environmental or chemical hazards.The process typically begins with a review of safety documentation, including safety data sheets (SDS) and other information that organisations already maintain as part of their workplace safety procedures.
This information allows CleanSpace specialists to analyse the types of airborne hazards that may be present and determine which filter configuration will provide the most appropriate protection.
“It can sound complicated to people who have never had to think about filters, but we understand it really well,” Imms said.
“Ensuring that the correct filter is selected is an important aspect of any respiratory program, and we can guide people towards making the right decision.”
This type of guidance can be particularly important in industries such as mining, where exposure risks vary depending on the task being performed. On some mines, multiple hazards may exist across different areas of a site, meaning the filtration requirements can change depending on where workers are operating.
Providing clear guidance on filter selection helps safety managers make more informed decisions and reduces the risk of workers using equipment that may not provide adequate protection for the risks they face.
CleanSpace’s end-to-end filter expertise also extends to broader fleet monitoring and management capabilities, with its digital platform, the SMART app, giving organisations greater visibility over how respiratory protection equipment is used in the field. The app provides an intuitive dashboard for monitoring filter condition, battery charge and protection levels, while also allowing managers to track gas and vapour filter life in real-time.
Taking that a step further, CleanSpace’s Insights reporting tool uses data collected from the SMART app to give operators a detailed, comprehensive report tracking those metrics. The platform provides safety managers with access to operational data that can help inform maintenance schedules, filter replacement timelines and broader compliance with respiratory protection programs.
This kind of insight allows organisations to better understand how their equipment is performing in real working conditions. Access to usage data can also help identify patterns in respirator use, filter lifespans and replacement frequency, highlighting areas where additional training or adjustments may be required.
“Safety officers can see how long filters are lasting across their fleet and whether workers are using the correct filters for the task,” Imms said. “If two workers are doing the same job but one filter lasts much longer, it prompts the question: why?”
Those are questions that most operators would otherwise never think of answering, largely because they wouldn’t know to ask them. However, for all the queries that may arise, sites have never questioned the quality of a CleanSpace filter.
The reason is what sets the company further apart from the rest.
“As far as we are aware, we’re the only respiratory manufacturer that individually tests every single filter,” Johnson said.
“More than that, it gives us absolute traceability and control over each filter.”
For customers, this amounts to complete peace of mind.
As for the team of Johnson and Imms, both understand that the work they’ve put in on the CleanSpace range of filters is extremely crucial.
“Most people think the respirator is the heart of the operation, but it’s actually just a carrier for the filter. The filter is the critical piece,” Imms said.
“We understand that better than anybody.”
This feature appeared in the May-June edition of Safe to Work.
