Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Gear
Whether it is for you, your employees, or customers, personal protective equipment and safety gear is now part of running a business.
Through the use of PPE, you can help prevent staff and customer transmission as well as emergencies on the job due to inhalation, absorption, prolonged contact with viruses as well as irritants, cleaning chemicals, or other harmful products. This actively reduces accidents, improves the health of your employees, and makes for a safer, secure work environment.
PPE for Office Workers and Customers
Here are the top 7 types of PPE you should purchase for your business.
- Face masks
- Face shields
- Gowns and aprons
- Hand Sanitizers
- Infrared Thermometers
- Gloves
- Antibacterial Wipes
Top Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Gear
Face masks
Face masks are considered a first step to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19. Different types of masks are available on the market for this purpose including medical-grade masks. Covering the mouth and nose is primarily used to prevent transmission by holding back droplets and spreading the virus.
Top Pick: Disposable Face Masks Store Masks
Disposable Face Masks Store offers three-ply breathable and comfortable filter safety masks. Each package weighs 6.4 ounces and comes with 50 disposable blue masks. This non-medical face mask has a three-ply design. It features an inner layer that filters bacteria along with an interior made from moisture-absorbing material for the mouth and lips. This lightweight facemask weighs 6.4 ounces and comes with elastic earloops and a one-year warranty.
Face shields
Previously a common sight in doctors’ offices and hospitals, today face shields are a common sight. Face shields protect the entire face including the eyes, which along with the nose and mouth can be a gateway for the coronavirus and other germs to enter the body. The plastic panel that hangs from the top of the forehead and extends below the chin prevents large respiratory droplets. These droplets are thought to carry the virus from reaching these areas of potential infection.
Top Pick: TCP Global Salon Safety Face Shields with Glasses Frames
TCP Global Salon’s safety face shields are durable, lightweight, and comfortable protective face shields. They are made with ultra-clear thick plastic. Each face shield contains an internally mounted comfort fit acrylic frame to help you wear your eyeglasses underneath.
This shield offers full face protection with a flexible wraparound design that also provides side and front face protection. The shields provide 180 degrees of protection for the eyes, nose, and mouth to help prevent droplets of saliva, coughs, sneezes, and other foreign substances from reaching your face. It is 7.75 x 10 inches and weighs just 8.8 ounces and is made with anti-fogging material to resist fog with prolonged use. Each package comes with four to 500 units that are ideal for hair salons and spas, restaurants, retailers, warehouses, offices, and more.
Gowns and aprons
Gowns and aprons give you an extra tier of protection because they can reduce the spread of droplets or other body fluids to the skin and clothing. And this can greatly lower the risk of secondary spread to hands and then to mucous membranes. when you use gowns and aprons in combination with masks, gloves, and eye protection, you are creating maximum safety protocols.
Top Pick: Dukal Isolation Gown
Dukal’s isolation gown offers you and your employees an extra layer of protection by preventing secondary transmission that includes body fluids and particulate material. The gowns are made of high-quality spun-bonded polypropylene. The gowns offer protection for a variety of settings including food processing, manufacturing, and other surroundings. Each gown features elastic cuffs with waist and neck tie closures. They are fluid-resistant and each packet comes with 10 gowns.
Dukal Isolation Gown, Non-Sterile, Blue (Pack of 10)
Hand Sanitizers
Hand sanitizers are handy items to practice hand hygiene and can be carried on your person or placed strategically in a business. They can help clean away pathogens in instances where you do not have access to water and soap. By placing hand sanitizer in strategic locations throughout the workplace and other high traffic areas, you can encourage both employees and customers to improve their hand hygiene and make your business a healthier environment.
Top Pick: Solimo Hand Sanitizer
Solimo’s hand sanitizer has a 62% ethyl alcohol content and claims to kill more than 99.99% of common germs and bacteria in as little as 15 seconds. This sanitizer also works well as a moisturizer and includes aloe vera and vitamin E for moisturizing your hands so they don’t dry out from excessive use. One unit holds up to 67.6-fluid ounces of sanitizer and meets CDC specifications.
Amazon Brand – Solimo Hand Sanitizer, Original Scent, 67.6 Fl Oz
Infrared Thermometers
Infrared thermometers help measure a person’s temperature without having to make personal contact. The use of non-contact infrared thermometers helps to see if people have elevated fevers. This helps in preventing cross-contamination by identifying symptoms early and informing people to take appropriate actions.
Top Pick: Berrcom Non-Contact Infrared Forehead Thermometer
Berrcom’s infrared forehead thermometer can take temperature readings from 1.2 to 2 inches from foreheads. The contactless infrared thermometer can memorize the last 32 temperature measurements and uses a backlit red display for viewing. This thermometer runs using two AA batteries and is safe to use from three-month-olds to seniors.
Readings come in either centigrade or Fahrenheit and can operate in either silent or sound modes and weighs just 7.05 ounces. Besides measuring body temperatures this thermometer can also read rooms and surface temperatures.
Berrcom Non-Contact Infrared Forehead Thermometer JXB-178 Medical Grade
Gloves
Gloves have become indispensable pieces of PPE that one can wear on the job. Typically, they help protect our hands against scrapes and scratches. More specialized gloves help protect us from cuts and against chemicals or contaminants as well as prevent the spread of pathogens.
Top Pick: Wostar Nitrile Disposable Gloves
Wostar’s disposable blue gloves are ideal for handling food, salons, food processing or other use cases. Made of nitrile the blue gloves are durable, powder-free and comfortable to wear.
The Nitrile material offers extreme stretch, no tearing or pinching. At the same time, it protects your hands from liquids, oil, slip, gases, and sharp objects. Additionally, these 2.5-millimeter gloves offer hand sensitivity and are touchscreen-friendly and can even prevent certain acidity and alkalinity. One package comes with 100 pairs of blue gloves.
Wostar Nitrile Disposable Gloves 2.5 Mil Pack of 100, Latex Free Safety Working Gloves
Antibacterial Wipes
This is also an essential PPE with multiple use cases to clean surfaces that include countertops, tables, equipment, and more. They can even be used to clean some parts of your electronic devices such as your computer keyboards or the mouse. Antibacterial wipes are packed with disinfectant solutions, so not only will your office look clean, but you will also feel free knowing that the bacteria and viruses are wiped out.
In addition, antibacterial wipes do not need spray bottles and other chemicals or towels. Users can simply grab a wipe, disinfect the affected area, and throw it away once they are done with it.
Top Pick: Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes
Wet Ones says it can kill 99.99% of germs while wiping away dirt and messes. It uses Benzethonium Chloride 0.3% – Antibacterial along with skin-conditioning aloe, fragrance, and other inactive ingredients. This antibacterial wipe helps leave your skin feeling clean and refreshed, not dry or sticky. It is perfect for quick clean-ups of dirt and messes for the office, or on the go. One pack comes with 20 wipes.
Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes, Fresh Scent
Why You Need PPEs in the Workforce?
Besides the benefits of providing your staff and customers with a safe environment, you also help instill a health and safety culture. In the long run, this will pay off with happier and safer employees and customers alike.
Some of the benefits are:
- Less illness: by decreasing instances of illness in the workplace you reduce the amount of time your employees will take time off work for being sick. This will impact your bottom-line as you guarantee you have the optimum level of manpower to maintain productivity and meet deadlines.
- Avoid litigation, fines, and closure: By law, businesses have a legal obligation to assess and manage any risks that derive from work-related activities. By not guaranteeing a safe environment you open your business to litigation.
- Retain staff: When you instill a positive health and safety culture in the workforce you are telling your staff that their wellbeing is your priority. This will help boost morale and productivity.
- Boost your reputation: Whether it is your staff or customers, everyone would like to know that visiting your place of work does not endanger their health- especially when there is a global pandemic.
- Prevents loss of business: On the last point, the loss of your reputation will negatively affect the bottom line of your business. Not only do you lose clients, but you also lose your competitive edge and your reputation can experience irreparable damage.
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Images: Amazon
This article, "Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Gear" was first published on Small Business Trends
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