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A term people from all walks of life rapidly have become familiar with during the COVID-19 pandemic is “personal protective equipment” or “PPE.” We are all hearing PPE discussed when it comes to the care and treatment of people hospitalized for the COVID-19 infections. We are learning that there are shortages of different types of PPE in various locations across the country. If you’re a business owner, you very well may be finding yourself trying to come up to speed regarding what types of PPE may be necessary to keep workers and patrons alike safe and healthy. You may also have heard about the types of PPE that is necessary as part of the process of coronavirus cleanup. Arguably, you’re being bombarded with PPE, something you may not have even heard of before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, you’re well served to have a basic understanding of the proper PPE that is now widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Primary Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The essential types of personal protective equipment being used during the COVID-19 pandemic are:
- N-95 mask
- Respirator
- Face shield
- Goggles
- Tyvek or similar uniform
- Gloves
- Shoe covering
- Head covering
You need to bear in mind that the types of PPE to be utilized depends upon the nature of the activity to be undertaken. For example, the type and manner of use of PPE for professionals in an emergency or COVID-19 care setting will differ at least to some degree from what infectious disease cleanup specialists or biohazard remediators will need to establish a disease-free environment in a home, business, or other location.
PPE at Your Business
If you’re not in the medical, biohazard remediation, or mortuary business, your first reaction may be that PPE doesn’t apply to your enterprise and its operations. The reality is that if you’ve been deemed an essential business permitted to remain in operation during a period of a stay at home mandate, you may in fact have the need at least for some basic personal protective equipment or outfitting.
In the case of your business, PPE potentially can serve three main purposes:
- PPE serves to keep your workers safe from one another
- PPE keeps patrons safe from an infected worker
- PPE keep your workers same from an infected patron
In a business setting in which workers have contact with one another as well as clients or customers, some basic PPE is recommended. At this juncture, the standard recommendation is for workers that have contact with the public, or even one another, should have a minimum of PPE that includes gloves and a facemask or other suitable face shield. This is the minimum type of PPE needed in situations in which a worker will have some sort of contact with clients, customers, vendors, colleagues, and so forth.
PPE in Your Personal Life
Even in our personal lives, PPE may be recommended under certain circumstances. For example, there are communities that are now recommending wearing masks or some sort of appropriate item to cover the mouth and nose when away from home. The City of Los Angeles became a prime example of this sort of directed recommendation at the beginning of April.
The primary underpinning reason for the use of a mask or similar face covering is to prevent an infected person from spreading COVID-19. The reality is that many who contract COVID-19 may never have any symptoms, and if they do, those symptoms will be mild. Thus, these individuals may never know they’ve been infected with COVID-19, while all the while unknowingly spreading the virus to others.
Gloves represent another type of personal protective equipment that makes sense for a good many people among the general public. Gloves provide protection from direct contact with COVID-19 that may have been transmitted from an infected person to some type of surface, including countertops and doorknobs.
Beyond PPE: Coronavirus Cleaning and Disinfection at Your Home or Business
In addition to having a basic understanding of personal protective equipment, you also need to appreciate what you need to do should a person infected with COVID-19 ends up in your home or place of business. If you believe your home or business somehow has become contaminated with COVID-19, you need to think long and hard about the best course to take to understand coronavirus cleaning and disinfecting. Oftentimes, this is engaging the professional services of a coronavirus cleaning and disinfection company. A coronavirus remediation company ensures that your home or business fully is restored to a safe as well as livable or usable condition after you believe a COVID-19 contamination occurred at the premises.
