Should You Protect Your Employees with Disposable Face Masks?

As the impact of coronavirus continues to be felt around the world, there are frequent questions here in the UK about getting back to work and how that’s likely to happen in the short term. One of the contentious elements in all this has become face masks. Should your employees be wearing them and how do you go about sourcing them when every other company in the country is having the same idea?

What’s the Evidence on Face Masks? 

Different countries are taking different approaches to using face masks outside a medical setting. In the UK, the official advice is that there isn’t yet the evidence for widespread public use. Yet some, like London Mayor Sadiq Khan are recommending that people use non-medical face coverings when effective social distancing isn’t possible. Other countries are doing things differently, but the focus in countries that are recommending face masks during the Covid-19 outbreak are recommending them for people who either have symptoms already or fear they might’ve been exposed.

If you’re interested in how different countries are handling the face mask issue, this article from The Lancet is worth reading.

Face Masks in the UK

The Health Secretary has previously said there won’t free masks available to the public, as all their resources are geared towards medical settings. The usual channels for obtaining disposable face masks (DIY shops, online sites) are often sold out. If you’re an individual looking for a face mask, this is problematic, but what if you’re a business?

Businesses in the UK are increasingly seeing face masks as a way of safely exiting lockdown. If employees adhere to social distancing regulations where possible and use face masks as well, the risks of spreading Covid-19 between colleagues may reduce.

Experts warn that face masks shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for hand washing and social distancing, but they can be used as an extra tool. In the race to get Britain’s businesses moving again, disposable face masks could be vital.

Finding Disposable Face Masks

As we’ve already mentioned, the usual places you’d get disposable face masks are invariably sold out and, anyway, the quantities they’re offering aren’t sufficient for most businesses. If you think logically about the number of disposable face masks your business employing 20+ people for a few weeks may need, it’s in the low hundreds and rapidly rising. So, it’s clear a bulk solution is needed.

Along with this, it’s important to know the origin of the face masks you’re ordering and whether they’re constructed well enough to be effective PPE. We’re seeing websites being censured for offering fake products or those constructed so poorly that they’re next to useless. The old rule applies – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Unscrupulous people are always ready to take advantage of a crisis, so be vigilant and careful.

Choose Sorcit as Your Disposable Face Mask Partner

At Sorcit, we can help protect your employees as the lockdown ends and British businesses get back to work. Working with a trusted supplier, we can process orders for 1,000+ face masks with a 7-day lead time and get face masks delivered direct to your business to help protect your team. Get in touch to find out more about our disposable face mask options.

Fancy reading some more?