Personal Protective Equipment for Infection Control – Specific Personal Protective Equipment

N95 Respirators and Surgical Masks (Face Masks)

 N95 respirators and surgical masks (face masks) are examples of personal protective equipment that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also regulate N95 respirators.

 It is important to recognize that the optimal way to prevent airborne transmission is to use a combination of interventions from across the hierarchy of controls, not just PPE alone.

Specific Personal Protective Equipment

45. Every employer must check regularly on the websites of the National Department of Health’, National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the National Institute for Occupational Health whether any specialised personal protective equipment for COVID -19 is required or recommended in any guidelines given the nature of the workplace or the nature of a worker’s duties and the associated level of risk.