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Rising sea levels caused by climate change and powerful storms have made flooding a common occurrence across the U.S., most recently impacting several parts of California. Businesses and private residences can easily be flooded with water when it has nowhere else to go. But flooding leads to the spread of harmful mold, dust, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites, especially ininstances where sewers can overflow. Workers will need to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to avo …

The dangers of a wildfire don’t end once it’s extinguished. Cleaning up after a natural disaster is dangerous, and cleanup workers need to be prepared for any hazards they might encounter: you don’t want to make recovery longer or harder by getting seriously hurt. In addition to having the proper wildfire personal protective equipment, follow these safety tips to avoid the potential hazards of post-wildfire cleanup. Electrical Hazards Once a wildfire has died down, power lines might …

Wearing masks in public has become a crucial part of protection for COVID-19. Some states and major cities have made mask-wearing a requirement. “Masks” can mean handkerchiefs, specially designed cotton masks, or disposable masks (such as N95 respirators) as long as they cover your nose and mouth. However, some locations have banned masks with valves. What is a Mask Valve? Some masks or respirators will have a piece of plastic embedded in the fabric. This plastic is a one-way valve …

The COVID-19 crisis has left hospitals in a difficult position. More personal protective equipment is desperately needed, and while some protection is better than nothing, healthcare providers who work closely with coronavirus patients need an N95 mask rather than a surgical mask. Civil-grade, low-quality, or counterfeit masks just don’t offer the same protection for patients or providers, and it’s important that providers know what kind of protective gear they’re getting. Luckily, there a …

The recent Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak has created a lot of changes to how daily lives are lived and medical personnel perform their jobs. The shortage of N95 respirators has happened before (SARS, MERS, etc.), just not on this scale. The CDC does not recommend that the general public wears N95 respirators as protection from COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases: the best way to prevent illness is to avoid exposure, and respirators are invaluable to healthcare workers that need the added …

If you and your team need to wear respirators on the job, it helps to have a means of comparing the relative protection between different respirators and filters. These ratings are designed to help protect you and your workers from different sets of airborne hazards. Sawdust and particles containing asbestos fibers are not the same. Neither should we use the same filter. If you use the wrong type of mask on the job, it could put you and your team at risk.  Learn more about N-, R-, …

For a lot of job sites, safety masks and respirators are an essential piece of PPE. The lungs are delicate, important organs that are hard to repair if they get damaged, and inhaling the wrong chemical can have devastating effects on other areas of the body as well. Protect yourself from invisible airborne particles by investing in a respirator or mask suited to your job. How Masks and Respirators Are Rated The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a divisio …

As the AB1124 California Bill goes into effect, we’re taking a moment to talk about what employers should look for in a respirator or face mask. The bill requires employers to provide N95 rated respirators (at a minimum) to all their employees working outdoors during a wildfire. Wildfire smoke can irritate a person’s eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and it can cause cancer, heart disease and even lead to death. N95 respirators protect individuals from some of the particulates present in wildfir …

First of all, a dust mask is has a single strap that goes over the head and provides very little protection from particles and debris in the air. They're also called nuisance dust masks and they're best used for mild applications like leaf blowing and general household dust protection. Dust masks just don't provide a good face seal and they protect about as well as nose hair, which is to say not that well. Replace them when they look dirty or after about 8 hours of wear. Honestly they're n …

We've had several customers ask about protection from the Hantavirus. Infection with hantavirus comes from contact with infected rodents and can develop into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which can be life threatening. Yosemite, one of the most spectacular US National Parks, has announced a total of 10 confirmed cases of hantavirus among recent visitors. The virus isn't passed between people, but is caught by coming in contact with deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats, or the white- …