of personal protective equipment - or PPE

- that are used to protect workers in

healthcare settings. A surgical mask is not a

respirator, and that’s an important

distinction for you and your employer to

understand, so let’s review the significant

differences between a respirator and a

surgical mask.

What is a respirator? A respirator is a type

of personal protective equipment designed

to reduce your exposure to airborne

contaminants. Respirators are available in

different types and sizes, and the respirator

you use must be individually selected to fit

your face and to provide a tight seal. A

proper seal between your face and the

respirator forces inhaled air to be pulled

through the respirator’s filter material, and

not through gaps between your face

and the respirator.

If your supervisor requires you to use a

respirator, it must be NIOSH-certified and

must be used in the context of a

comprehensive respiratory protection

program, according to OSHA’s Respiratory

Protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.134, which

includes but is not limited to medical

evaluation, fit testing, and training elements.

Respirators are used routinely to protect

healthcare workers against airborne

infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis,

anthrax, SARs, and Hantavirus because they

protect against both large and small particles.

What is a Facemask? A facemask is a loose-

fitting, disposable mask that covers your

nose and mouth. Surgical masks, dental

masks, medical procedure masks, isolation

masks and laser masks are all

types of facemasks.

Facemasks help stop large droplets from

being spread by the person wearing them,

whether that person is a patient or a

healthcare worker. Facemasks also keep

splashes or sprays from reaching the mouth

and nose of the person wearing them.

However, facemasks are not designed or

certified to seal tightly against your face or

to prevent the inhalation of

small airborne contaminants.

During inhalation, small airborne

contaminants pass through gaps between the

face and the facemask and the material of

the mask. Remember, facemasks are not

considered respirators and they do not

provide respiratory protection.

Only facemasks that are cleared by the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration, the FDA for

short, may be legally marketed in the United

States. The FDA approval signifies that

they have been tested for their ability to

resist splashes of blood

and other body fluids.

To offer protection, both facemasks and

respirators need to be worn correctly and

consistently throughout the time that they

are being used. When used properly,

facemasks and respirators both play an

important role in preventing exposures to

different types of hazards.

If you need the protection of both a

facemask and a respirator, you can use a

surgical N95 respirator. Surgical N95

respirators offer protection from both

airborne and body fluid contaminants and

are approved by both NIOSH and FDA.

During an infectious disease outbreak, such

as SARs or pandemic flu, facemasks and

respirators should be used in conjunction

with other controls and interventions that are

known to prevent the spread of infection.

These include engineering and

administrative controls, such as installing

sneeze guards and permitting teleworking,

and work practices, such as cough etiquette,

hand hygiene, and avoiding large gatherings.