The pandemic may have made personal protective equipment (PPE) headline news, but for many workers it was already an everyday essential. If you work in healthcare, hospitality or food production, you’ll know that PPE plays a critical role in maintaining health, safety and hygiene, and reducing risk of infection or contamination.
According to Safe Work Australia, it is the responsibility of the person conducting a business or undertaking – the employer – to make sure all employees are supplied with the correct PPE. That includes ensuring that it’s fitted correctly, clean and hygienic, and replaced if not functioning properly. It’s a good idea to conduct regular training for floor staff so they understand how each piece of protective equipment should be worn and used.
Products like gloves, masks, hair nets, shoe covers and beard covers should be at the top of equipment lists for these industries. And certain considerations need to be factored in for each unique PPE. Take face masks as an example; they need to have an effective face seal to both protect the wearer from inhaling germs, and to stop germs escaping from the wearer’s mouth or nose. Badly fitted face masks, or masks that are worn incorrectly, are going to fail at the basics of protection. The same applies for ear and eye protection.
The correct fit is everything, so it’s worth fit-testing these items with staff so they have the confidence to trust the PPE will keep them fully protected. When it comes to infection and contamination, gloves and handwashing are especially pertinent. In food production and service, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Food Standards Code insists workers with cuts or bandages on their hands must wear gloves. Anyone working with ready-to-eat foods should also always wear gloves – with the vinyl variety likely to be the best choice.
Clear communication and easy-to-follow instructions are key. Talk to your staff about correct PPE usage, implement consistent training and display straightforward visuals, like the PPE infographic below, so there’s no ambiguity around safe and hygienic measures in the workplace.
Keep staff and customers safe this winter by downloading Premier’s Infection Control flyer here
