Six Common Mistakes When Donning and Doffing PPE that Could Lead to COVID-19 Infections

Bryan Connors | June 15, 2020

As of June 12, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximately 75,000 cases of COVID-19 were healthcare providers in the US. Healthcare providers are on the front lines and are at high risk of infection. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is paramount in helping to protect them from infection. Yet, PPE...

COVID-19 Management Planning: Questions Employers Must Be Able to Answer Before Returning Employees to the Workplace

Nanette Moss and Jack McCarthy | May 27, 2020

Across the U.S. states are beginning to lift restrictions that will allow businesses to reopen. While this brings hope, it also presents an enormous task and responsibility for employers. Employers will need to coordinate with multiple groups to prepare their workplace for re-occupancy and establish plans for how they will safely manage their workforce and...

Reopening Clinics: Ensuring a Healthy Facility and Staff Safety

Bryan Connors | May 14, 2020

As public health experts determine that it is safe to see patients and stay-at-home restrictions are relaxed, ambulatory care centers, physician clinics and dental clinics should strategically plan when and how best to reopen. The physical environment is part of the foundation of providing a healthy workplace so properly preparing your facility prior to re-occupancy...

Do I Need to Disinfect My HVAC System for the Coronavirus Before Re-Occupancy?

Kevin Coghlan | April 27, 2020

We are fast approaching a point (if we are not there already) where our collective focus will shift from supporting a work-at-home strategy to planning for employees to return to the workplace. There will be a great number of issues to address prior to that happening. From a facility management perspective, one immediate question is...

Update – Emergency Use of Uncertified Respirators: OSHA Releases Guidance in Alignment with FDA and CDC

Kevin Coghlan | April 8, 2020

OSHA recently provided some much-needed compliance relief for healthcare providers (HCPs). On April 3, 2020, OSHA released two enforcement guidance memorandums to Regional Administrators and State Plan Designees regarding the emergency use of respirators that are not NIOSH-certified and respirators for which the use-by date has expired. This supplements earlier guidance that was the subject...

Emergency Use of Uncertified Respirators: Can the FDA Allow Use of Uncertified Respirators to Protect Workers?

Nanette Moss and Kevin Coghlan | March 30, 2020

Can the FDA allow uncertified respirators to be used to protect worker health and safety? Check out the newest post on this issue: OSHA Releases Guidance in Alignment with FDA and CDC On March 28, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to allow healthcare providers (HCPs) to re-use...

How to Know If an N95 Respirator is Real or Counterfeit

Kevin Coghlan | March 26, 2020

As the supply of N95 respirators for healthcare workers continues to dwindle, a number of counterfeit or uncertified respirators are beginning to surface in the marketplace. If a hospital is struggling to maintain its supply of N95 respirators, there are other options that can be used in place of the standard N95 respirator. The Centers...

Reusable Elastomeric Respirators: Proper Use by Healthcare Workers

Nanette Moss and Kevin Coghlan | March 26, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge of patients to urgent care, emergency room and drive- up testing locations. Healthcare workers depend upon N95 disposable respirators to protect them from exposure to the respiratory droplets that transmit the disease. The supply of N95 respirators is being rapidly depleted as the crisis prolongs. Fabric facemasks...

Are People Infected with the Novel Coronavirus Contagious Before They Have Symptoms?

David MacIntosh | March 24, 2020

According to current information on the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes, known as COVID-19, people infected with the virus are contagious before they have symptoms. Research that Tells Us Asymptomatic Persons Are Contagious A research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on February 21, 2020 is perhaps...

Why Measures to Prevent Community Spread of Coronavirus are Critical

David MacIntosh | March 24, 2020

Current directives to combat COVID-19 in the United States are based on limiting community spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The tactics include social distancing, frequent hand washing and related actions. But why is it that doctors, scientists, and other specialists have counseled government authorities to recommend these methods in particular? Coronavirus (COVID-19): Why is...