PPE Selection, Respiratory Protection, and First Aid/CPR
Objective. Students will select appropriate PPE for each composites task, demonstrate correct respirator fit-check and donning, and perform adult CPR and first aid to the standard required for certification.
This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed engineer or certified journey-level tradesperson or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.
VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.
Why PPE Comes First
Fiberglass and composites work exposes you to a wide range of hazards every shift: styrene and acetone vapors, airborne glass fibers, catalysts and resins that can sensitize skin, grinding dust, and high-decibel power tools. No single piece of protective equipment covers all of these hazards — you must match the right PPE to the specific task before you touch any material. This lesson teaches you how to do that systematically, how to wear a respirator correctly, and how to respond when something goes wrong.
Reading the SDS Before You Choose PPE
Every chemical in your shop has a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Section 8 of the SDS — Exposure Controls / Personal Protection — lists the minimum PPE the manufacturer recommends. Section 2 tells you the hazardous ingredients and their classification. Section 4 covers first-aid measures if exposure occurs. Get in the habit of pulling the SDS for any unfamiliar material before you begin work. The SDS binder must be accessible to all workers at all times.
PPE for Common Composites Tasks
Laminating (wet lay-up with polyester or vinyl ester resin): Nitrile gloves (not latex, which degrades rapidly with solvents), chemical splash goggles, a half-face air-purifying respirator fitted with organic-vapor/P100 combination cartridges, and a Tyvek or equivalent disposable coverall. Styrene vapor is the primary inhalation hazard; the organic-vapor cartridge addresses it. The P100 particulate filter captures glass fiber and any mist.
Grinding and sanding cured laminate: Safety glasses are the minimum for eye protection, but a face shield worn over chemical splash goggles is preferred when aggressive grinding is occurring. A half-face respirator with P100 particulate cartridges is required — cured glass-fiber dust is a respiratory irritant and potential carcinogen with repeated long-term exposure. Hearing protection (earplugs or earmuffs rated to the tool's noise level) is required for prolonged grinding.
Spraying gelcoat or resin (spray-up or coat application): This is the highest vapor-exposure task. A full-face respirator or a supplied-air respirator may be required depending on the airless or air-atomizing spray volume and ventilation — check the SDS and your employer's written respiratory protection program. At minimum, a half-face respirator with organic-vapor/P100 cartridges, chemical splash goggles, face shield, Tyvek suit, and nitrile gloves are required. Keep bystanders out of the spray zone.
Solvent handling (acetone wipe-down, resin cleanup): Nitrile gloves, chemical splash goggles, and an organic-vapor respirator are the baseline. Acetone is highly flammable — eliminate ignition sources before opening containers.
Respirator Fit-Check: Don't Skip This Step
A respirator that does not seal to your face provides no reliable protection. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 requires that every worker who uses a tight-fitting respirator (such as a half-face air-purifying respirator) pass a fit test before first use and at least annually thereafter. Two qualitative fit-test protocols commonly used in shops are the saccharin (sweet taste) and Bitrex (bitter taste) aerosol tests. During the test you perform exercises — normal breathing, deep breathing, head side-to-side, head up and down, talking, and bending over — while the test agent is nebulized around the facepiece. If you detect the taste, the seal is inadequate and a different size or model must be tried.
Before every shift, perform a user seal check:
- Positive-pressure check: Block the exhalation valve and breathe out gently. The facepiece should bulge slightly and no air should escape at the seal.
- Negative-pressure check: Block the inhalation ports and inhale gently. The facepiece should collapse slightly and hold for a few seconds with no inward leakage.
Cartridges must be changed on a schedule. When no OSHA Substance-Specific Standard sets a required interval, your employer must establish a change schedule based on cartridge service life (using the manufacturer's data or OSHA's change-schedule guidance). As a practical rule in a composites shop, organic-vapor cartridges should never be used beyond the end of the shift if any odor is detected — odor breakthrough means the cartridge is saturated and must be replaced immediately.
Chemical Splash — Eye Wash Response
If resin, catalyst, or solvent contacts your eyes, go immediately to the nearest emergency eye-wash station. Flush both eyes continuously with water for a minimum of 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open. Do not rub the eyes. Have someone notify a supervisor and call for medical assistance. Eye-wash stations must be located within 10 seconds of travel (approximately 55 feet) from the hazard area and must be flushed weekly to verify function.
Wound Care for Glass-Fiber Lacerations
Fiberglass splinters are small, hard to see, and irritating. For surface splinters, use tape (the "tape-lift" method) or fine-point tweezers — do not dig with a needle without proper training. Clean the wound with soap and water. For any cut that is deep, will not stop bleeding after direct pressure for several minutes, or involves a large embedded piece of glass, apply a clean dressing with firm direct pressure and seek medical care. Do not remove a deeply embedded object.
Adult CPR and AED
The American Heart Association Heartsaver sequence for an adult victim: ensure scene safety, tap shoulders and shout to check responsiveness, call for help and send someone to retrieve the AED, check for breathing (no more than 10 seconds), begin 30 chest compressions (push hard at least 2 inches, at a rate of 100–120 per minute, allow full chest recoil), give 2 rescue breaths if trained and willing, and repeat. When the AED arrives, power it on and follow its voice prompts — pads, analyze, shock if advised, and resume CPR immediately after the shock. Do not delay compressions to set up the AED; let a second rescuer handle it.
Key Takeaways
PPE selection is not guesswork — it is driven by the SDS and the specific hazard profile of each task. Respirator fit matters as much as cartridge selection. Know where your eye-wash station is before an emergency occurs. CPR and AED skills degrade without practice; your certification card is a starting point, not a permanent credential.
Key terms10
Materials: Assorted PPE samples (gloves, goggles, face shields, half-face respirators, Tyvek suits, hearing protection); qualitative fit-test kit; AHA Heartsaver student workbooks and manikins; AED trainer; eye-wash station; first-aid kit; SDS binder.
Check: Valid First Aid/CPR certification card upon completion; PPE task-matching exercise ≥ 80% correct; respirator fit-test logged with passing result; debrief Q&A — instructor verifies student can state minimum cartridge-change frequency and eye-wash flush duration without prompting.
Practice check8
Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.
