Saturday, July 11, 2020

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

Hi friends!!!

In today's scenario of increasing corona virus cases, it is important for every people to have awareness about personal protective equipment to protect themselves and others from infectious agents.

Let's get into the topic.

WHY PERSONAL

PROTECTIVE

EQUIPMENT?

Personal Protective Equipment is used to prevent exposure to infectious materials. Infectious materials can be like airborne, droplets, direct contact. And also personal protective equipment will prevent workers from health and safety risks on the job. The personal protective equipment is  useful to prevent the individual from physical, chemical and biological hazards that might be encountered. Apart from healthcare industry, it is also widely used in construction industry, engineering, fire safety and many other fields. 


Image courtesy: Wikimedia commons
Licensed under: CC Share Alike 

WHAT ARE THE 

CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL 

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT?

1. Eye and Face Protection.

2. Hand Protection.

3. Body Protection.

4. Respiratory Protection.

5. Hearing Protection.


WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE

EQUIPMENT?

The following are the types of personal protective equipment.

FACE SHIELD

Face shield is a plastic barrier that covers the face. The shield should extend below the chin anteriorly and to the ears laterally. There should be no exposed gap between forehead and the shield’s headpiece. Face shields are known to reduce viral exposure by 68% to 96%.


Image courtesy: Wikimedia commons
Licensed under: CC Share Alike 

GLOVES

Gloves will cover the hands and wrist, thus protecting the skin contact from germs. In healthcare gloves are mostly made of latex or nitrile. Now a day’s nitrile is preferred over latex because of allergic nature of the latex.

How to remove your gloves safely?

1. Use your left hand and grab the outer side of your right glove at the wrist.

2. Pull down the glove towards your finger. The glove will turn inside out.

3. Now hold the empty glove with your left hand.

4. Put two right hand fingers inside your left glove’s wrist ( not to touch the outer surface of the left glove ).

5. Pull your two fingers downwards until you have pulled the left glove inside out and off from your hand. Now the right glove will be inside your left glove.

6. Throw the gloves in a appropriate waste container.

NOTE: When you take of your gloves, make sure the outside of your gloves do not touch your bare hands.

GOGGLES and GLASSES

Goggles protect the eyes from infectious droplets. It fits around the eyes securely whereas protective glasses only protect the front and sides of the eyes. Goggles should have good seal with the skin of the face, covering the eyes and the surrounding areas. It are designed in a manner to accommodate the prescription glasses


Image courtesy: pexels.com
Licensed under: CC Share Alike 

GOWNS

Gowns provide 360 degree protection because they are designed to cover the whole body including the back and the lower legs.

HEAD COVERS

Those who are using gowns should use head covers to cover their head. All hair and hair extensions should fit inside the head cover. Head cover should be elastic enough to cover the ears as well.


Image courtesy: Wikimedia commons
Licensed under: CC Share Alike 

MASKS

Masks are used to prevent your mouth and nose from contracting the infectious agents.

There are three types of masks as following

1. Surgical Masks

2. Respiratory Protective Masks

3. Cloth Masks

Read my blog to know in detail about masks.

How to wear and remove a mask?

1. Choose the face mask with correct size.

2. Make the colored side of the mask as the outer surface.

3. Hold the mask using ear loops and place it over your ears.

4. Don’t touch the inner surface of the mask while wearing the mask, because infectious agents in your hand may contaminate the inner surface and you tend to inhale it.

5. Mold the stiff edge over your nose shape, to hold your mask firmly without any gap between mask and face skin.

6. Likewise remove your mask using ear loops. Don’t touch the outer surface of the mask while removing, because contaminants in the outer surface of the mask may stick to your hand.

7. Dispose the mask in a trash as soon as you remove it.

SHOE COVERS

Shoe cover should be made up of impermeable fabric to be used over shoes to provide personnel protection as well as to protect the environment from the contamination due to germs in the bottom surface of shoes.

EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, about 82% occupational hearing loss occurred to workers in manufacturing sector. Both earplugs and earmuffs are hearing protection equipment's. Earplugs are more effective for reducing high frequency noises. Earmuffs are more effective in reducing low frequency noises. 85dB is considered as a safe noise threshold and the level at which appropriate hearing protection must be worn.

Too much of hearing protection may increase workplace dangers by blocking critical communications or noise. 


Use of personal protective equipment is required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations in 29 CFR Part 1910. It is also required by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations in 40 CFR Part 300.

NOTE: Employees must have medical clearance from a licensed physician to wear a respirator or personal protective equipment.

 

Now I hope you have acquired some knowledge about Personal Protective Equipment. We will discuss about topics related to Biomedical Engineering, Medical Devices, Healthcare in our next blog.

Please check out for the link below

Generations of CT scanners

NOTE: Dear friends!!! ...Please do comment a topic related to Biomedical, so that we can discuss it in future blogs.


Check out for my other blogs 

DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG PAGE

DROP YOUR MAIL ID TO GET IMMEDIATE UPDATES

If you find this blog post knowledgeable, comment & share it with a friend! 

 

 

 


3 comments: