Standards for Surgical Respirators and Masks: Relevance for Protecting Healthcare Workers and the Public During Pandemics

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jones RM ; Rempel D
• Description:
  National standards for surgical respirators and masks are written and enforced to protect healthcare workers from particles and microorganisms such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition to the ability to filter particles (e.g. filtration efficiency, FE), the standards address breathability (e.g. differential pressure), how well the mask seals to a worker's face (e.g. fit test), the level of protection from a fluid splash, and other factors. Standards used in the USA, European Union (EU), and China were compared with respect to testing methods and certification criteria. Although there are substantial similarities in standards for respirators, such as surgical N95, FFP2, and KN95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), there are differences with respect to who performs that testing and fit-testing requirements that influence certification. There is greater variation in test methods between countries for surgical (USA) or medical (EU and China) masks than for FFRs. Surgical/medical masks can be certified to different levels of protection. The impact of the similarities and differences in testing methods and certification criteria on FFR and mask performance for protecting healthcare workers from SARS-CoV-2 are discussed, as well as the value of a new standard in the EU for testing fabrics for masks used by the public. Health and safety personnel in healthcare settings must understand the differences between standards so that they can select respirators and masks that provide appropriate protection for healthcare workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Hospitals Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 COVID-19 Equipment Reliability Health Care Workers Healthcare Workers Hospital Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirators Respirator Selection Respiratory Protection SARS-CoV-2 Standards

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• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  495-504
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068265
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2021 Jun; 65(5):495-504
• Contact Point Address:
  David Rempel, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
• Email:
  david.rempel@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ac4b762315ebd0d9a3d1c12c10285cd5d10881592938d56b79075500cc4949f8feec11bab126833bd12a2207be958eb6b57368fc568796e60cf1769f72198d8b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230448/cdc_230448_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 245.70 KB ]