Need a better respirator mask

I work in dusty enviroments and I am always wearing a respirator mask with filters attached to it. After long hours of wearing one of these respirator masks, I get tired of breathing through the thick filters and the filter cartridges on the outside of the mask are heavy. Is there a better respirator mask out there that will be more comfortable to wear for long periods of time?

I think what you are looking for is PAPR mask. PAPR stands for Powered Air Purifying Respirator. A battery powered air pump attached to the PAPR mask pumps air through a filter system, and delivers it straight into the face mask. This will solve your problem of working so hard to pull air through those filters with just lung power. Also, PAPR respirators have the pump, filters and batteries attached to a belt and not the mask itself. This allows for a much lighter mask that you can wear for hours.

Emergency Eye Wash Stations

I have a metal shop and we are constantly using grinders that throw debris and sparks all over the shop. My employees are really good about wearing safety glasses or safety goggles, but there is always the chance a customer or someone else wanders into the shop area. What are some safety precautions I can take?

Thats a great question and I know how hard it is to control access to your shop area and keep everybody safe as well. One thing you should definitely consider is install eye wash stations. There are several different types you can purchase. I would recommend a Pure Flow 1000 eye wash station for your smaller shop. These are made from durable plastic and are easily mounted. These eye wash stations have a two maintenance cycle, so you only have to add solution and clean it on a two year basis. You should install these eye wash stations every 25 feet to insure adequate coverage for your shop and meet OSHA requirements as well.