Choosing Your Escape Hood
Escape Hoods for effective self-rescue in the event of Toxic as or Chemical Emission accident
An Overview
The escape hood is a filtering respiratory protective device which can be really effective for self-rescue in the event of a toxic gas or chemical emission accident. Two key things to be aware of when selecting an emergency escape hood of this type is that they do not provide protection in the event of a lack of oxygen, and they are only intended for single use over a short period of time.
In the ABEK variant they are particularly recommended for drivers of vehicles carrying toxic gases or chemicals which may release harmful vapours in the event of an incident. The hoods provide protection against the following hazards and also fulfil the ADR requirement for the need of an emergency escape mask.
- Organic vapours with a boiling point of over 65°C (solvents, for example)
- Inorganic gases (chlorine, hydrogen sulphide, for example)
- Sulphurous acid anhydrides (sulphuric acid, for example)
- Ammoniac
The key benefits over other masks which may be employed are the ease of donning, protection to the face and eyes, excellent visibility through the panoramic visor, also they are light-weight and comfortable to wear. Additionally, they have a life of 10 years which is at least twice as long as other mask and filter options which helps to mitigate the greater initial investment whilst reducing the administration involved in more regular mask replacements.
The compact storage bag means that the hood can be conveniently secured to the wearer’s waist or stowed in the vehicle cab ensuring that the hood is protected from UV and any contaminants which may otherwise reduce the 10-year life-span.
BOC UK have successfully used the Honeywell Opengo Hood (RP0030) to provide protection to their drivers for over a decade and have recently replaced more than 100 hoods as the original hoods were coming to the end of their 10-year life-span.
