What PPE means
Personal Protective Equipment, also known as PPE, refers to anything used or worn to minimize a worker’s risks and improve safety. PPE includes face masks, protective glasses, gloves, and others.
Who needs PPE
- Patients with confirmed or possible SARS-CoV-2 infection should wear a face mask when being evaluated medically
- Healthcare personnel should adhere to Standard and Transmission-based Precautions when caring for patients with SARS-CoV-2 disease.
It’s essential to follow specific steps when putting on and taking off your PPE in order to prevent accidents and spread infections or viruses.
How to Put On PPE Gear
Putting on PPE is known as donning. The steps are generally the following:
- Perform hand hygiene
- Put on shoe covers
- Put on gown
- Put on mask or respirator
- Put on eye protection
- Put on gloves
More than one donning method may be acceptable. That’s why training and practice using your PPE is critical. If you are a healthcare worker, find a donning example below:
- Identify and gather the proper PPE. Ensure the choice of gown size is correct.
- Perform hand hygiene using hand sanitizer.
- Put on an isolation gown. Tie all of the ties on the gown. Assistance may be needed by other healthcare personnel.
- Put on your face mask. If the mask has a nosepiece, it should be fitted to the nose with both hands, not bent or tented. If the mask has loops, hook them appropriately around your ears.
- Put on your face shield or goggles. Face shields provide full-face coverage. Goggles also offer excellent protection for eyes, but fog is common.
- Put on gloves. Gloves should cover the cuff of the gown.
How to Remove PPE Gear
This is also known as doffing. The steps are the following, generally a reversal of the donning process:
- Remove shoe covers
- Remove gown and gloves together.
- Perform hand hygiene
- Remove eye protection
- Remove mask/respirator.
- Perform hand hygiene
But remember that more than one doffing method may also be acceptable. That’s why you should train and practice using your PPE. Below is another example of doffing:
- Remove gloves. Ensure glove removal does not cause additional contamination of hands.
- Remove the gown. Untie all ties. Reach up to the shoulders and carefully pull the gown down and away from the body. Rolling down the gown is an acceptable approach.
- Perform hand hygiene.
- Remove face shield or goggles. Carefully remove face shield or goggles by grabbing the strap and pulling upwards and away from the head. Do not touch the front of the face shield or goggles.
- Remove and discard the face mask. Do not touch the front of the respirator or face mask. Carefully untie and pull away from the face without touching the front.
- Perform hand hygiene after removing the respirator/face mask before putting it on again if your workplace is practicing reuse.
We are working hard to create a safe environment for everyone.
At We Shield, we work hard to create a safe and clean environment for front line workers and the individuals at most risk of contracting COVID-19. That’s why we keep sourcing and distributing top quality personal protective equipment and safety supplies at the best pricing on the market.