Appreciate that we currently do not protect against seasonal flu, and Covid-19 might not be a lot different, in terms of effect, but as employers does anyone know if we are obliged to provide face masks (Am assuming N95/FP3 standard )In the workplace if asked for by our employees?

See link for latest government guidance to employers:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-covid-19

It states "Employees are not currently recommended to wear facemasks to protect against the virus, which are only recommended to be worn by symptomatic individuals to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection to other people".

Basically just encourage good hand washing and disposal of tissues etc.

I do understand the limitations of both the masks and the  virus/propagation.

Am facing two challenges, some employees are asking for them, so am probably going to decline using A Kurdziel line of reasoning.

The 2nd challenge is that I have to advise my employers as to, if someone brings the infection into the workplace, dose this then become a workplace hazard?, this is what I am struggling with.

I get that the most likely outcome is a site shutdown, but it’s presumably too late by then and was wondering if regular hand washing briefs, alcohol wipes freely available throughout the site,posters etc  would be considered “suitable and sufficient” control measures.

Workplace issue NOT a workplace hazard.

The source will more likely be someone not associated with site on a daily basis e.g. delivery driver, architect, fellow passenger on public transport etc... so you as an employer have no direct control and therefore only by elimination through site closure would truly be "suitable and sufficient" but then we all appreciate that is highly unlikely.

As already explained, the type of mask you see on television is actually worse than useless! It can actually increase the risk of the wearer inhaling the virus. The optimum, as explained in official guidance, is good hand hygiene. Optimum here is an alcohol sanitising rub. Whilst there is no legal duty to supply this, as a gesture of goodwill you could supply a personal issue alcohol hand sanitiser. Companies such as GOJO and DEB can supply these. For many years I have carried these in my bag and in my car. When I stop at a motorway service area at lieast I know that my hands are properly decontaminated before I touch any food!

There is also a lot of misinformation being spread. For example on Radion 2 someone advised that hands should be washed in the hotest water that a person could tolerate. This would only make things worse. Water about 35 deg. C damages the skin's natural barrier, making it easier for transient micro-organisms, e.g. the COVID-19 virus, to colonise the skin and increase the risk of infection. Water for washing should be no more than lukewarm. The concept that hot water for washing will kill bacteria is nonsense. To have any effect it would need to be so hot that it would scald and would need to be in contact with the skin for much longer than would be tolerable. 

I keep seeing pictures on the telly of people wearing their masks wrong. There is a photo of Carabinieri detachment guarding one of the restricted areas in Italy. Every single one of them is wearing their mask upside down!

Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel

I keep seeing pictures on the telly of people wearing their masks wrong. There is a photo of Carabinieri detachment guarding one of the restricted areas in Italy. Every single one of them is wearing their mask upside down! 

Just to pick at another perennial post a lot of them have beards!

Firstly, soap and water is not the best option. The alcohol sanitiser is the option that is recommended in current government guidance, with soap and water only to be used when hands are visibly soiled. Most proprietary alcohol gels and foams are at least 60% alcohol and effective against most viruses. I never recommend the anti-bacterial skin cleansers as they can actually be counter-productive. The are too slow-acting for general use and the active (a biocide) can actually deplete the skin's own commensal flora and thus reduce the skin's ability to inhibit the colonisation of the skin by transient (potentially pathogenic) micro-organisms.

I would also not recommend the non-alcohol hand sanitisers as they are a leave-on product that will contain a biocide. This will be both irritant and almost certainly a skin sensitiser. In 2010 the Clinical Services Review published a paper on this that reviewed the evidence on these sansitisers and came to the conclusion that the alcohol based ones should be used. This is also the NICE accredited guidance in their paper on infection prevenetion (epic3 - downloadable from the Internet) where recommendation SP7 is to use an alcohol sanitiser with certain defined exceptions.

If anyone wants more on this PM me with a contact address.

Unbelievable...

I'm not querying work related skin care advice

John

If you look at the NICE accredited guidance for the healthcare sector what their recommendation SP7 states:

"" Use an alcohol-based hand rub for decontamination of hands before and after direct patient contact and clinical care, except in the following situations when soap and water must be used:

= when hands are visibly soiled or potentially contaminated with body fluids ; and

= when caring for patients with vomiting or diarrhoeal illness, regardless of whether or not gloves have been worn.

I have a list of studies published in journals such as the Journal of Hospital Infection, Contact Dermatitis (the official journal of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis, etc., which all show that alcohol sanitisersa are, sith certain exceptions, more effective than soap and water and less damaging to the skin. Excessive hand washing is a well-established cause of a high incidence of irritant contact dermatitis among nurses.

What's different in nurses' skin? Actually, much of the studies I have that confirm the alcohol sanitiser approach is the more effective are not from the healthcare sector, but from dermatologists, toxicologists, etc. The guidance for health care is just one of the many that I have on file and they all take the same approach.

Originally Posted by: Kate

The answers to all your questions are in the government guidance linked above.

Not true, The question was if an employee asks for a mask is the employer obliged to provide one & in the forums opinion would my current controls be deemed "suitable & sufficient" in the event of say a visit by the ORR(Office of Rail & Road) or HSE.

Both questions fully answered by A Kurdziel   &  Roundtuit , for which I thank them.

Try the IOSH mag.

If you are providing the masks to protect your workforce what about fit testing?

Originally Posted by: chris.packham

If you are providing the masks to protect your workforce what about fit testing?

As some of our worksite involves tunnelling , all staff are face fit tested on induction/prior to employment and once a year thereafter.

There is also a clean shaven policy for tunnel works, the supervisors ensure correct usage throughout their shifts in the relevant areas.

I fully appreciate that masks are likely to be not particularly effective, they are also impracticable to wear for any length of time as breathing gets progressively harder until you break the seal amongst other drawbacks.

My question was solely for the purpose of ascertaining employer obligations, not the practicalities of providing masks.