BRAVA Marketing Blog

The Importance of PPE – Coronavirus Edition

Healthcare professionals rely on personal protective equipment every single day to protect themselves and their patients from the spread of germs and infectious diseases. But now, with the coronavirus pandemic spreading like wildfire, PPE is more important than ever.
Now, healthcare professionals are seeing the real risk of failure to use PPE, rather than discussing risk as a hypothetical worst-case scenario. Healthcare workers are now the most at-risk population for coronavirus simply because they see so many infected patients.

Worse, when healthcare workers do get sick, their constant exposure to sick patients means that their viral load will be much higher than the average person and they face a far greater risk of incapacitating or fatal infections.

In light of the current dangers, we’re taking a closer look at PPE – coronavirus edition. Here are some of the most essential forms of PPE and what they do to protect your workers during the pandemic.

Face Masks
The key feature of the coronavirus is respiratory symptoms, such as dry coughing, and it spreads primarily through saliva droplets or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. This is why masks (and even custom plexiglass sneeze guards) are essential – for the infected and those around them.

While it does help to cover your cough or sneeze and face away from others, covering your mouth with your elbow or sleeve does not fully contain saliva droplets flung into the air. A face mask keeps saliva and discharge completely contained, protecting those around you.

In addition, face masks protect healthy individuals by preventing them from breathing in saliva droplets of an infected person.

The most efficient and effective masks are N95 respirators, which must be fitted to the individual wearer. These are also difficult to acquire at the moment because they’re in high demand, and should only be worn by medical personnel. The same goes for surgical masks, which must now go through decontamination to be reused because of severe shortages.

To help conserve resources for medical personnel, non-medical workers should wear cloth face masks.

Gloves
According to the National Institutes of Health, coronavirus can stay stable on surfaces for several hours, similar to the original SARS virus. On plastic and stainless steel, for example, scientists found viable traces of COVID-19 two to three days after exposure. And because coronavirus is a virus (and thus isn’t exactly alive) you cannot necessarily kill the virus by disinfecting surfaces the way you would kill germs.

Safety gloves are critical PPE because they prevent your hands from being exposed to the virus on surfaces. We use our hands for everything, and because the virus can live without a host for quite some time, it’s astonishingly easy to spread the virus via touch.

Granted, touching someone with infected gloves is no better than touching them with your bare hands, but gloves do protect the wearer from exposure – as long as you remove and dispose of them properly.

7 Types of Personal Protective Equipment

Understanding PPE for the Coronavirus
We understand that this is a difficult time for many workers, especially healthcare providers. We hope to be a safety resource during this period. Share this PPE – coronavirus guide with your workers as part of safety training.

And if you need more coronavirus resources, make sure to check out our blog, like this beginner’s guide to coronavirus.

How PPE Kit Helps You Against Safety Risks?

PPE kit has proved itself as a great shield when it comes to preventing the transmission of bacteria, viruses, and other elements that are injurious to health. The PPE kit is designed for professionals working in a challenging environment in various sectors. You must have seen doctors and nurses wearing personal protection equipment kit in hospitals and isolation centers.

The main purpose of covering the body from head to toe is to reduce the exposure to the various contagious viruses, bacteria, and toxic elements that cause serious damage to health. You may buy a PPE kit online to ensure your best possible safety as it comes with a pair of hand gloves, face mask, eye mask, and shoe cover.

Each accessory of the safety kit has its own role to play while you operate your work in a challenging environment. The kit that ensures your safety from head to toe is used in different industries for various purposes. Not just viruses and bacteria, even tiny droplets can be prevented when the PPE kit is worn in a proper manner.

It has the ability to block tiny droplets arising in the form of cough and sneeze due to its reliable fabric which is used while manufacturing. When you operate your work in any challenging environment where the risk of getting infected is high, personal protection equipment kit creates a barrier between you and germs.

Disposable PPE kit has proven to be a useful resource for all the professionals engaged in a challenging work environment. It comes with a high visibility eye mask that is usually scratch-proof in nature and allows you to perform your professional task efficiently.

From hospitals to hotels and manufacturing factories, there are various places where huge gathering takes place and the hazards can be controlled only using personal protection equipment kit. The kit covers the body of the user thoroughly still it allows you to move here and there without causing any disturbance.

It is worth noting that personal protection equipment kit is generally used in places where other measures of safety seem insufficient. Whether it is a matter of concern of serious injury, illness, physical contact, or any health hazard, PPE kit is an effective solution that promises basic safety.

The importance of personal protective equipment

In some work environments it is necessary to wear personal protective equipment . There are several professions where the wearing of personal protective equipment is mandatory, and with good reason. Personal protective Kits & equipment provides employees with essential protection against possible harmful external influences, thus preventing injuries and other physical injuries.

Often personal protective equipment only protects a specific part of the body. It may therefore be that in some workplaces several forms of personal protection must be worn. Which personal protective equipment an employee must wear depends on the profession, the work environment and which risk factors are present. Here we explain what the most important personal protective equipment is.

Head protection
Bump caps and safety helmets can be worn to protect the head . Bump caps provide moderate protection; the plastic inner shell offers protection against light impacts. The advantage of a bump cap is that it feels light and ventilates well. Safety helmets offer stronger protection and are therefore more suitable in a work environment where objects can fall on the head. A helmet cap can be worn under a helmet. This provides heat and is also flame retardant. An additional advantage of head protection is that you are also directly partly protected against UV radiation.

Hearing protection
In some environments, hearing must be protected. Think of a workplace where loud equipment is used, such as sawing, drilling or pile-driving machines. Sound above 80 decibels is harmful to hearing and can even lead to noise deafness in extreme cases. Noise deafness can have serious consequences, both for the functioning at work and in the personal life of employees. This should therefore be avoided as much as possible.

One way to do this is to wear hearing protection such as earplugs or earmuffs . Earplugs are placed in the ear and can be used in situations where the sound is no louder than 90 decibels. Earplugs are cheap and hygienic because they are thrown away after one use. Ear muffs have a somewhat higher attenuation and can easily be put on and taken off, but are sometimes difficult to wear in combination with glasses.

In some work environments it is necessary to wear personal protective equipment. There are several professions where the wearing of personal protective equipment is mandatory, and with good reason. Personal protective equipment provides employees with essential protection against possible harmful external influences, thus preventing injuries and other physical injuries.

Often personal protective equipment only protects a specific part of the body. It may therefore be that in some workplaces several forms of personal protection must be worn. Which personal protective equipment an employee must wear depends on the profession, the work environment and which risk factors are present. Here we explain what the most important personal protective equipment is.

Eye protection
To protect the eyes, goggles must be worn in some work areas. Safety glasses are available in different shapes and sizes. Ordinary safety goggles are very similar to ordinary goggles, but there are also goggles that look more like diving goggles. This second type provides more complete protection, as no dust, dirt or other harmful particles can enter the eye through the sides.

Gloves
There are also work environments where employees run the risk of injuries to the hands. To avoid this it is essential to wear protective gloves. There are different types of gloves for different workplaces. Consider, for example, gloves that protect against mechanical factors, gloves that protect against chemicals and gloves that protect against heat and sparks.

Personal protective equipment provides a safe working environment. So always be prepared!

Five Tips for a Safe Back-to-School During COVID-19

What does going back to school during a pandemic mean for students and parents?

Not all schools will resume on-campus learning this fall, but some will, and others may follow in the near future. No matter when your child’s campus reopens, you’ll see changes designed to keep kids safe, such as spacing desks farther apart.

Catch up on shots

Because of the pandemic, some families have fallen behind on vaccines.

“It’s important to catch up on routine shots,”.  “COVID-19 shouldn’t make us forget about other viruses that pose dangers to kids’ health.

“In addition, kids may not be allowed in class if they’re showing symptoms of any kind, so make sure you’re up to date on all age-appropriate vaccines. Along with routine immunizations, I recommend a flu shot for kids.”

Keep up with well-child visits, too.

“It’s safe to bring your child to any Cedars-Sinai clinic, hospital or doctor’s office,” she adds. “The medical center has outstanding measures in place to protect patients and staff alike.”

Hold off on hugs

Many kids will be excited to reunite with friends when schools reopen, but it’s too early for hugs. Remind your children that people can have COVID-19 without knowing it, so even if you don’t feel ill, you could pass it to somebody else. Your classmate might have a grandmother or an aunt who would get really sick if she caught the virus that causes COVID-19.

“Most kids react well to the idea of protecting other people,” .

Teens may have an especially tough time staying away from parties.

“They might have friends who aren’t being careful, and they don’t want to seem overly cautious or be left out,” . “Parents need to be consistent, and lead by example. Tell them that if we all stick to the guidelines, we have a better chance of getting the virus under control and getting back to the activities we enjoy.”

Sing your way to hygiene

Hygiene is key, but isn’t it hard to get kids to wash their hands for 20 seconds?

“Children actually have an easy time following hand-washing guidelines,”.

She recommends making a game of it, such as having to lather up up every time you handle a high-touch surface. Most kids know the “Happy Birthday” tune, which takes about 20 seconds to sing twice.

Singing also adds a touch of fun, so use it to help kids develop good hand-washing habits before going back to school. Pack sanitizer for them, too.

Practice mask-wearing

Masks are a different story.

“It’s hard to get kids to wear masks properly and keep them on,”. “They’ll touch their mask a lot if it feels bad on their face, so make sure the mask is comfortable.”

She recommends a mask made out of cloth that fits snuggly without being tight. You may have to try different types before you find the right one. Be patient and take your time, because it’s important — there’s mounting evidence that masks can really reduce transmission, and schools may require them.

If your kids aren’t used to wearing masks, start with short periods and gradually have them wear the mask for longer until it starts to feel normal.

Don’t share those carrot sticks

Many children like to share with their friends. While that’s a wonderful trait, explain to your kids that sharing food isn’t a great idea right now.

Schools are also changing how they serve food to reduce the risk of transmission.

“Whether your children are eating meals offered on campus or bringing their lunch, it’s best to not touch each other’s food,” says Dr. Monk. “It’s not about being selfish. It’s the opposite. It’s about taking care of each other.”