Safeguarding the health of employees and clients in the workplace is a priority and the responsibility of employers, managers, and the workers themselves.
Depending on the nature of your business, understanding the different levels of face masks and choosing the right one to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is critical in order to protect your business, your employees and your clients.
Benefits of Wearing a Mask
- Evidence suggests some people can test positive for COVID-19 and be contagious anywhere from 1-3 days before they develop any symptoms.
- Face masks can prevent people who are in close contact (within 6 feet or 2 meters) from exposing respiratory droplets to each other.
- Face masks can prevent droplets from landing on surfaces where the virus could remain viable and infect others.
In principle, medical masks should be prioritized for health care workers. However, the World Health Organization stresses the risk of exposure to COVID-19 should be taken into consideration based on local context. For example, does your business require close contact (ex. hairdresser, makeup artist, aesthetician, cashier…etc.)? Does your community have clusters of cases? Does your community have well established contact tracing and testing capacity for you to assess the risk level?
Should anyone use non-medical masks?
Currently, the use of masks made of other materials (e.g., cotton fabric, masks without filter or with unqualified filter), also known as nonmedical masks have not been well-evaluated for their efficacy and can create additional risks including self-contamination by reusing contaminated masks and creating a false sense of security.
Should I wear a Protective Face Shield in Addition to a Face Mask?
Wearing a full-length face shield can help protect masks and face from direct splatter and may prolong life of mask. If in your line of work, you come in close contact with other people throughout the day, a face shield will act as an added layer of protection for your face. It may also help keep you from touching your face or eyes unnecessarily.
Safeguard Your Business Starting by Choosing the Right Face Mask
Step 1: Assess Your Risk
- Does your business require close contact (ex. hairdressers, aesthetician, cashier…etc.)?
- Does your community have clusters of cases?
- Does your community have well established contact tracing and the testing capacity for you to access the risk level?
Step 2: Understand the Standards of Face Masks
The FDA certifies face masks based on ASTM standards. The international standards are based on four key areas.
Fluid Resistance: Resistance to penetration by synthetic blood, minimum pressure in mm Hg for pass result
Differential Pressure: Breathability
Filter Efficiency: Bacterial filtration efficiency
Flammability: Flame spread
Face Mask Selection Guide
| Risk Level | Applicable Setting | Mask Level | Mask Suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum | For caring patients with airborne diseases such as TB or influenza | NIOSH Approved Respirator
|
N95 |
| High | For heavy levels of aerosols, spray and/or fluids (ex. oral surgeries, air polishers) | ASTM Level 3:
|
High Fluid Resistance Surgical Mask |
| Medium | For low to moderate levels of aerosols, spray and/or fluids (ex. tattoo parlors, dental hygienist) | ASTM Level 2:
|
|
| Moderate | General use for short procedures that don’t involve aerosols, spray or fluids (ex. hairdressers, aesthetician, makeup artist, cashier) | ASTM Level 1:
|
Part #90613, Part #90614 Part #90606, Part #90607  |
| Low | May reduce the spread of droplets from the wearer into the environment. Recommended while maintaining social distancing and to satisfy government regulations for wearing a face covering. | Level varies depending on fabric type and whether or not a filter is inserted into the mask. | Fabric (Cotton) Face Mask  |
Why Choose Qosmedix? Trust. Quality. Service. Longevity.
Qosmedix offers the highest quality products sourced from around the world that are vetted by our team. You will NEVER receive fake or counterfeit goods from us. We hold ISO Certifications in quality management, environmental standards, and business continuity.
Our parent company, Qosina Corp. is a leading supplier of disposable OEM components to the medical device industry. As a family owned and operated company since 1980, we appreciate your patronage and thank you for choosing Qosmedix for all your beauty supply needs.