Dr Jane Whitelaw1
1Occupational Health and Safety, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Biography:
Dr Jane Whitelaw is a Certified Occupational Hygienist, Certified Industrial Hygienist and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists. She is an expert in Respiratory Protection with current research grants & recent publications investigating the efficiency of respirators against airborne particles. Dr Whitelaw is member of the Australian Standards Committee SF10 publishing AS/NZS 1715 &1716 on Respiratory Protection (Design and Use); and RESP-FIT Board Member and accreditation assessor. Her recent PhD thesis explored the “Physiological Effects of Respirator use”. Further to this, she is the Head of Discipline and OHS Academic Program Director for the National and Internationally Accredited Programs at the University of Wollongong.
Abstract:
Recent revisions to Australian Standards for respiratory protective equipment (RPE) mark a pivotal shift in how we protect healthcare and frontline workers. Historically, respirator selection and certification have been driven by laboratory-based metrics: filtration efficiency, seal integrity, and static test conditions. But clinical environments, particularly during COVID-19, exposed a crucial disconnect, that healthcare workers often operate at elevated work intensities, while also managing thermal comfort, cognitive load, and communication barriers.