September 5th is now recognized by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as National Health Awareness Day. The theme this year revolves around “Respirator Preparedness: Where Technology Meets Good Practices”.
Planned activities include a webinar with NIOSH professionals to discuss respirator preparedness in a health care setting. An online blog explaining this day will be also posted to the NIOSH site. Pinterest will post infographics and Tweets on the topic will be tracked under #N95Day as part of a Twitter chat with NIOSH N95 experts.
NIOSH says that N95 respirators are the most common among the seven total types of particulated filtering face-piece respirators. They are extremely beneficial as they filter at least 95% of airborne particles, but are not resistant to oil. These respirators are used in construction and industrial type jobs where workers are exposed to dust and small particles. FDA has cleared these respirators in healthcare settings, under the name Surgical N95 Respirators. They must meet the same performance standards of surgical masks and must also meet N95 performance requirements. The approval of N95 respirators has provided workers with adequate protection in the work environment and addressed many possible health concerns.
NIOSH is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
