Life safety first: this is an important rule that every company, organization and non-profit organization must follow. Not only employees but also employers should thoroughly understand and follow the GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) to ensure life safety of every worker.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) – such as gloves, masks, safety glasses and shoes, ear plugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, work clothes, vests and tights are designed in neutral size. The neutral size means that these equipments are designed to be suitable for the majority of labor users, but there will still be a small number of users who do not fit.
Surveys and studies over the past few years have found that more than half of female users are at higher risk of injuries than male users due to inappropriate PPE or improper wear, such as tripping over shoes that are too big and losing their grip on items due to gloves that don’t fit. Other men also wear inappropriate PPE and cause varying degrees of damage. It is therefore imperative to encourage diversity in design of Personal Protective Equipment.
With the arrival of COVID-19, many medical workers need to wear masks, protective clothing, goggles and gloves during working time. Data show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers developed pressure sores from trying to use masks to form a good seal, and some people diagnosed with COVID-19 were also found their face become allergic,swollen and bloody after incorrectly wearing masks or using the wrong size. Authorities believe that “by providing more appropriate ppe, we can protect vital healthcare workers well. So they can continue to care for patients on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.”
To address this issue, the House directed the AMA to “encourage diversity in personal protective equipment design to better accommodate health care workers of all body types, cultural expressions, and practices.” The frequency of PPE training has also been increased, with many medical institutions performing fitting tests on their employees. So that they can work in relative comfort.
The FDA has also played a major role in regulating personal protective devices.FDA requires that all personal protective equipment (PPE) intended for use as a medical device must comply with FDA regulations and meet applicable voluntary consensus protection standards. This includes surgical masks, N95 respirators, medical gloves and protective clothing. Consensus standards and FDA requirements vary depending on the specific type of PPE. When these standards and regulations are followed, they can reasonably ensure that equipment is safe and effective.
Some personal protective devices are strictly reviewed by the FDA before they can be legally sold in the United States. Under this review, known as premarket notification or 510(k) clearance, manufacturers must demonstrate that they meet certain criteria for performance, labeling and intended use to demonstrate substantial equivalence. To some extent, in part, substantial equivalence is to conform to consensus standards for barrier properties and resistance to tear and hindrance. Voluntary consensus standards may also be used to demonstrate sterility (where applicable), biocompatibility, fluid resistance and flammability. Manufacturers must validate the methods used to test compliance with standards and provide appropriate performance test data for each product.
In conclusion, compared with other countries, the United States has done a good job in labor protection. Perfect laws, equipment production and management supervision mechanism is strict.