Protection Equipment
RESPIRATORS
Health and safety legislation
COSHH (1) does not cover employees who are exposed to a disease, such as a pandemic, which is in general circulation, and so may also be in the workplace (2). However In a pandemic setting, as employers you still have a duty of care to provide a safe place of work for your employees (3).
You are required to maintain safe working systems and implement appropriate and proportionate control measures based on local risk assessments (4).
Some working environments will inevitably expose your employees to a higher than ambient risk of exposure, including, for example, Occupational Health staff; staff with direct customer contact; janitorial/cleaning staff; security staff; and staff involved in business trips abroad. In addition the redeployment of employees to unfamiliar tasks or to lone or remote working as a result of depleted staff resources also needs to be considered.
There may accordingly be a requirement for extra control measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as provision of antiviral medication either for the treatment of influenza, the prevention of influenza, or both.
1) Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 [COSHH]
2) HSE Pandemic Flu – Workplace Guidance December 2005
3) Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
4) Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Which respirator?
There are several national classifications and standards that indicate the effectiveness of a respirator such as the United States NIOSH- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the similar European standard signified by EN. Universally these institutions classify the filtration effectiveness of a respirator in three categories, as follows: FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3. The World Health Organisation and the UK Department of Health recommend the use of FFP3 respirators when preventing the transmission of the H5N1 Avian Flu virus. A FFP3 respirator offers 98% effective protection against contaminated particles to a size of 0.5 microns and this offers the optimum protection against Avian Flu laden water droplets.
Respirator comfort
Effective business continuity in a pandemic will require staff members to wear respirators for extended periods of time. Realistically this will only be achieved if the respirator fits well and is comfortable. Our range of respirators features a 'cool flow valve' which allows the exhaled hot air to be purged from the mask. This drastically reduces the heat and condensation build up within the mask and allows the respirator to be worn for longer.
Respirator shelf life
The World Health Organisation estimates that there is now a heightened risk of a human flu pandemic occurring over the next 10 years. Influenza Protection has anticipated the likely 'shelf life' issue for respirators over this period and in cooperation with their manufacturing partners has created a unique system to overcome the usual expiry dates.
Safety spectacles
It is possible to for the microscopic virus droplets expelled by an infected person to be absorbed through the soft tissue of the eyes. To protect the eyes of your staff, we have a range of clear wrap around spectacles that are adjustable to create a comfortable fit. All our spectacles have been selected to compliment our range of respirators
Bio disposable bags
Establishing a system for the disposal of personal protection equipment is essential to ensure that there is no contamination of virus free areas. Influenza Protection supplies a robust bio-hazard disposal bag that features a bright yellow colour and bio-hazard symbols to differentiate from normal waste.
Training
All our healthcare products are supplied with a recommended procedure for your organisation to implement and this can be presented to your staff and employees either through a brief training presentation or through literature and posters.