A reminder about the re-use and extended use guidelines of N95s:
Users should perform a user seal check each time they don a respirator and should not use a respirator on which they cannot perform a successful user seal check.
See https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2018-130/pdfs/2018-130.pdf.
Employers should train workers to understand that if the structural and functional integrity of any part of the respirator is compromised, it should be discarded, and that if a successful user seal check cannot be performed, another respirator should be tried to achieve a successful user seal check. (Contact your supervisor or manager. If you are told you cannot get another or are bullied in any way, contact us.)
If reuse of respirators (during one shift) is necessary, an appropriate sequence for donning/doffing procedures should be used to prevent contamination, and training needs to address appropriate donning/doffing procedures. See https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/PPE-Sequence-508.pdf.
To sign our petition pushing for the federal government to use everything in their toolbox to assure we have safe, appropriate PPE, please sign here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/protecthealthcareworkers
For more detailed information on the decontamination and reuse mask issue:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/decontamination-reuse-respirators.html
