Volume 13, Number 5—May 2007
Research
Respirator Donning in Post-Hurricane New Orleans
, Jean Cox-Ganser*, Margaret A. Riggs†‡, Nicole Edwards*, and Kathleen Kreiss*
Table 3
Errors observed among Orleans Parish participants donning disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators, March 2006
| Error | n (%)* |
|---|---|
| Nose clip not tightened |
303 (71) |
| Both straps used, but straps incorrectly placed |
221 (52) |
| Visible gap between respirator and skin† |
136 (32) |
| Respirator donned upside down |
94 (22) |
| Only 1 of 2 straps used |
91 (21) |
| Facial hair† |
48 (11) |
| Respirator donned sideways or tilted |
11 (3) |
| Other‡ | 5 (1) |
*N = 427; 433 participants were noted to have at least 1 donning error; for 427 participants, the nature of the error(s) was
documented.
†Among those participants with only 1 observed donning error, 6 had a visible gap between the respirator and skin, and 18 had facial
hair. These 24 participants are included in calculations of frequencies of donning errors. For analyses of factors associated with
proper donning, they were considered to have properly donned the respirator.
‡The “other” category was used for 2 participants who were noted to be unable to put on the respirator and for 1 participant who did
not use either of the 2 straps. For 2 other participants, the “other” category was indicated, but the interviewer did not further specify
the nature of the errors.