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Is there any guidance out there on Sharing PPE under COVID
Rank: Forum user
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Has the UK released any guidance on sharing PPE, my gut feeling would be to clean, leave for 24Hrs and reuse, or if the cleaning cannot be guaranteed to work, clean and then leave for 72Hrs prior to use. There must be a fair few industries out there that see PPE regularly shared (such as visitor PPE on construction sites) I may have missed the guidance on this.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Call me pedantic but the acronym is PPE not SPE. I have worked at a company where visitor steel cap footwear was shared - we used a spray like the local ten-pin bowling alley between wearers - but these were short duration and infrequent use, not used in one shift by one employee and then by another employee on the next shift. Even face visors have comfort bands which will be awkward to clean. If there is a need for PPE then you must provide suitable PPE the regalations do not discuuss "shared" equipment which is likely why HM Gov is not issuing guidance.
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2 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Call me pedantic but the acronym is PPE not SPE. I have worked at a company where visitor steel cap footwear was shared - we used a spray like the local ten-pin bowling alley between wearers - but these were short duration and infrequent use, not used in one shift by one employee and then by another employee on the next shift. Even face visors have comfort bands which will be awkward to clean. If there is a need for PPE then you must provide suitable PPE the regalations do not discuuss "shared" equipment which is likely why HM Gov is not issuing guidance.
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2 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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Originally Posted by: Roundtuit Call me pedantic but the acronym is PPE not SPE. I have worked at a company where visitor steel cap footwear was shared - we used a spray like the local ten-pin bowling alley between wearers - but these were short duration and infrequent use, not used in one shift by one employee and then by another employee on the next shift. Even face visors have comfort bands which will be awkward to clean. If there is a need for PPE then you must provide suitable PPE the regalations do not discuuss "shared" equipment which is likely why HM Gov is not issuing guidance.
An example of this would be those people who are given community payback (unpaid work) by the courts and are mandated to work outside cleaning streets/strimming hedges Etc, they will be issued with boots, glovesand a visor when strimming. This happens daily, every working day of the week ingroups and PPE has always been shared. I cant see councils spending thousands on disposable visors or boots that are thrown away after each use, the cost would be huge
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1 user thanked JL for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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JL, to answer the question, no. Guidance has not been released regards this, unless I have missed it. If PPE is shared there must be, irrespective of COVID19, a proper cleaning regime in place. However I think with the current situation greater consideration and emphasis should be placed on this, obviously depending on the type of PPE. e.g. if workers or vistors share items such as hi-vis vests, is there a cleaning programme for them, should you allow visitors at this time etc. If it is items such as air flow respirators, where you would have in place a cleaning regime, should their shared use be suspended, I would say so.
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2 users thanked russ pt for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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PPE can be shared as long as there is a cleaning regime - see L25 Guidance Note. The only specific guidance re cleaning equipment issued by HSE during the covid-19 crisis is with reference to the cleaning of equipment etc during face fit testing. https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/face-mask-ppe-rpe-coronavirus.htm
Hope this helps.
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2 users thanked John D C for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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I was delivering meals whilst on thurlough for a local charity, i was issued with an apron that was bagged at the end of the session and then was laundered. Thats about it, ideally no PPE should be shared, but as stated above, where it is, there needs to be a good cleaning regieme in place.
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Is there any guidance out there on Sharing PPE under COVID
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