Reference

The numbers on a fire extinguisher label are tested capacity, not size: each 1-A equals about 1.25 gallons of water-equivalent power and the B number is square feet of liquid fire a novice can put out. This guide decodes 2A:10BC, explains the UL 711 tests behind the numbers, and works room-by-room sizing with NFPA 10 and OSHA rules.

CO alarm laws are a state-by-state patchwork: some states cover every home, others trigger only at new construction, sale, or rental, and coverage often hinges on fuel appliances or an attached garage. This guide maps the NCSL compilation into one table, explains UL 2034 and IRC R315, and walks a sale-state compliance example.

Photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors sense different fires at different speeds, and NIST's full-scale testing shows the gap can be a survival margin. This guide explains both technologies, the UL 217 8th Edition tests that reshaped the market in 2024, NFPA 72 placement rules, and a worked five-alarm plan for a three-bedroom home.

FFP2-Maske oder FFP3-Maske? Dieser deutschsprachige Leitfaden erklärt die Schutzklassen nach EN 149, die CE-Kennzeichnung mit notifizierter Stelle, die Zusätze NR, R und D, die deutschen DGUV-Schutzfaktoren und den internationalen Vergleich mit N95, P2 und KN95 — samt Kauf-Checkliste gegen gefälschte Masken.

The FFP3 mask is Europe's highest disposable respirator class: at least 99% filtration with tight leakage limits under EN 149. This guide covers FFP2 vs FFP3 selection, the UK's APF 20, silica and hardwood-dust uses, valve and NR/R/D markings, US N99/P100 equivalents, and a four-step check for spotting counterfeits.

Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is the umbrella term for every device that protects breathing — from disposable N95s and FFP3s to powered and supplied-air systems. This guide maps the full family tree, the adequate-and-suitable selection test, fit testing rules, and how the US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian rulebooks attach.

FFP2 and P2 respirators are not NIOSH-approved, so they cannot satisfy OSHA-required workplace use in the US. This guide covers the legal rule, the ended COVID exception, the FFP2-to-N95 and FFP3-to-P100 translation table, voluntary-use cases, the reverse question abroad, and a spec-conversion worked example.

Assigned protection factors differ by country: OSHA credits every half mask 10, the UK runs a 4/10/20/40 ladder, EN 529 defines nominal factors with national APFs beneath, and Australia gates P3 to full facepieces. One master table, the three cross-border traps, and a four-jurisdiction worked selection example.

NOM-116-STPS-2009 is Mexico's respirator standard, mirroring NIOSH's N95-to-P100 classes. This guide covers its scope and 2017 modification, the NOM-017 workplace PPE rules, STPS enforcement, how NIOSH-approved models serve the Mexican market, and a worked example for a cross-border manufacturing program in Monterrey.

AS/NZS 1716 is the Australian and New Zealand respirator standard: P1, P2, and P3 filter classes, certification marks, and the rule that P3 protection requires a full facepiece. This guide covers silica and bushfire selection, the engineered-stone ban, AS/NZS 1715 protection factors, and the N95-to-P2 translation both ways.

Face fit testing is the UK's proof that tight-fitting RPE actually seals. This guide covers INDG479's seven-exercise protocol, qualitative vs quantitative methods, Fit2Fit accreditation, the UK's 4/10/20/40 protection-factor ladder, CE vs UKCA status after Brexit, and a worked example fit-testing a site crew with a qualitative kit.

EN 149 grades European disposable respirators FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3; EN 143 grades P1-P3 filters. This guide decodes the classes, the CE marking string, NR/R/D suffixes, gas-filter types, and Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — plus how the European system maps to NIOSH N95 and P100, with a dual-certified GVS Elipse worked example.