Bushfires are part of life in Australia. These fires can produce vast amounts of smoke, off-gases and ash and there is a need to consider the most appropriate ways of providing respiratory protection for those exposed to these contaminants.

Fire decomposes or breaks down materials. The composition of these breakdown products will vary depending on:

• The composition of the burning materials - this can be from many sources
• The ventilation conditions - poor ventilation reduces the available oxygen and changes the makeup of the decomposition products.
• The temperature of the fire.
• Burning produces particles as well as gases and vapours. The gases can often include irritant gases like hydrogen chloride and acrolein.

Smoke is defined in AS/NZS1715:1994 as "particles of low vapour pressure suspended in the air. Smoke is made from the solid and liquid products of combustion. Smoke particles settle slowly under gravity. Normally, the combustion process that produces smoke also produces gases".

The ultimate choice in comfortable, durable protection.

The 3M™ Ultimate FX Full Facepiece Respirator FF-400 For the work you do, comfort and durability are everything. With a soft feel to the face, comfortable head cradle, plus reduced heat and moisture buildup, 3M's Ultimate FX Full Facepiece Respirator delivers premium comfort that lasts as long as you do. And it's the only respirator with 3M's unique Scotchgard™ Paint and Stain Protector, which helps keep the lens dirt-, paint- and stain-resistant - not to mention so much easier to clean.

DBI Sala 3M service requirements in Australia

Click on Read more for 3M's recommendations

3M Fall Protection has learned of the possibility of a manufacturing defect in a dorsal d-ring utilized in ExoFit NEX™ harnesses manufactured between January 2016 and December 2018. Although there have been no reported incidents involving this condition, a dorsal d-ring with this defect will not support the load in a fall arrest event which could result in serious injury or death. Harnesses manufactured only within this date range require immediate inspection for lot number 09P1 stamped into a dorsal d-ring. We believe that only one harness was manufactured with a defective D-ring, but we urge inspection of all potentially affected harnesses out of an abundance of caution in the interests of worker safety.

To address the situation, 3M Fall Protection is launching a global Inspection Notice. As set out in the attached Notice, all ExoFit NEX™ harnesses manufactured between January 2016 and December 2018 require inspection prior to use.

Stop Use & Recall Field Service Action
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
3M™ DBI-SALA® 16 Foot Talon™ Self Retracting Lifeline

Only Affects Lot Codes 12092430 through 18062730

3M Fall Protection has detected a small quantity of DBI-SALA® 16 Ft. Talon™ Self Retracting Lifelines that are defective due to an assembly error.