Face Coverings - "safe" products but not safety!

From tomorrow, July 24th, it will be compulsory to wear Face Coverings in shops and supermarkets in England albeit this product type is neither Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or a Medical Device (MD).

As it is clearly a new category of product likely to be with us for some time, designed to mitigate the risk of COVID 19 transmission.

All of the guidance produced by the authorities remain crystal clear that the product is, as said, neither PPE nor MD. As such, Face Coverings are not regulated by either the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Face Coverings sold in the UK will be regulated under the existing General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which require that only “safe” product is placed on the UK market.

So, why Face Coverings? These products are designed primarily to protect others as opposed to the wearer. COVID 19 can be spread, predominately, by droplets created by coughs, sneezing and speaking. In addition to direct transmission, droplets can be picked up from surfaces and infection passed by then touching your face. Face Coverings are a valuable addition to good hand hygiene and social distancing as a tool to restrict the transmission of COVID 19.

What are wearers to expect from a Face Covering? This in itself could be clearer. The Government updated its guidance on July 15th regarding how to make one at home, but this guidance makes no attempt to specify the performance or filtration characteristics of the face covering.

The previous day the Government published broader guidance on Face Coverings explaining what they were, the reason for their necessity, how and when to wear one. See links at the end of this article.

In this document it is made clear that there are no specified product performance standards required in the UK, but importantly it referenced the French AFNOR standard S76-001 for “Barrier Masks” and the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) Technical Specification CWA 17553 both of which have a range of requirements on dimensions, components, markings and importantly, performance criteria for filtration efficiency, breathing resistance and suggested test methods.

The British Standards Institute (BSI) are aligning to these standards which means that the BSI Kitemark can and will be applied to products which successfully submit for assessment.

It’s Tower’s mission to: Make The Workplace A Better Place. Given the wearer protection offered by MD, specifically Type IIR; together with the good availability and now stabilised price of these masks, don’t dismiss this product type to help the country safely and successfully meet the Government’s goal to return life to as close to normal as possible.