It's interesting to watch on the media all the different styles of masks being worn, mostly the very basic and ill fitting paper ones (probably with a nil rating)
Our H&S manager at work banned the use of FFP1 and 2 several years ago & we have to supply FFP3 minimum or full closed respirators, this is done in conjunction with a detailed risk assessment and face fit testing of operatives
You would be shocked how much leaks around the edges when properly tested with fit test dye
Our sites are regularly visited by The Health & Safety Exec 'swot teams' with potential serious fines & imposed shut downs & what I see within the NHS & care workers looks like completely un-regulated use of not always, fit for purpose masks putting employees at risk
Jon. It is my observation that most FFP3 masks, particularly those used for industrial purposes, have valves for the easy exhalation. These masks may be beneficial to someone such as medical staff who are working with known contagious people but in the wider world, such as in supermarkets, they will do little to inhibit distribution of the virus by the thousands of people who are contagious and asymptomatic. The aim of requesting the general public to wear masks is more to stop the virus spreading from the source (ie. unknowingly contagious people) more than to stop someone not contagious from picking it up.
My recommendation is that if you see someone wearing a mask with a valve keep even more distant from them than you would normally.
FFP3 compared to FFP1 & 2 have the maximum inwards leakage on average of 2% and are ideal for not catching something not to be worn (ideally) by surgeons or contagious patients. FFP3 also have the most resistance to breathing, so if you are contagious then not ideal to wear a FFP3 due to the causes of the infection on inhaling.
" Note: Because the P3 has an exhalation valve, it is not for use by infected patients or by professionals in the operating theatre".
Regardless of FFP1/2 or 3 working in customers offices, care homes and doctors surgeries I and my staff would rather have something than nothing at the moment... We use FFP3 by the way.
It's interesting to watch on the media all the different styles of masks being worn, mostly the very basic and ill fitting paper ones (probably with a nil rating)
Our H&S manager at work banned the use of FFP1 and 2 several years ago & we have to supply FFP3 minimum or full closed respirators, this is done in conjunction with a detailed risk assessment and face fit testing of operatives
You would be shocked how much leaks around the edges when properly tested with fit test dye
Our sites are regularly visited by The Health & Safety Exec 'swot teams' with potential serious fines & imposed shut downs & what I see within the NHS & care workers looks like completely un-regulated use of not always, fit for purpose masks putting employees at risk
Fully agree Jon. We did the same with nano particulates & potential cancer causing raws.
JohnV6 2022 CX Plus Four 2025 MG ZS EV aka Trigger
It would be interesting to know how China kept their virus figures very low and they are now through it .
A combination of slightly optimistic massaging of the figures, possibly? But the main thing is that they had a very rigorous control-based approach. Everyone was literally confined to their homes, there was very comprehensive testing, and anyone with even slight symptoms was removed from their family and taken to a separate quarantine facility for treatment.
Same with South Korea, they got on top of it very quickly.
Tim H. 1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE