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OSHA recommends face shields and homemade masks for workers—as a last resort

Fab shops are generally considered low risk for COVID-19, but there are still safety steps to follow

Illustration of face mask to a avoid coronavirus

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most metal fabrication shops fall in OHSA's “low risk” area, but it doesn’t remove them from the responsibility of trying to keep employees safe by wearing N95 masks and other face masks. Getty Images

When asked what exactly the fabricator was doing to ensure the safety of the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s safety manager was direct in his response: “Many are wearing N95 masks, but our supply is getting low. We are constantly seeking supplies. Gloves and other PPE is being worn by all."

This East Coast fabricating company was working with a skeletal staff like many other manufacturing companies. Most of the office personnel have been working from home for the past couple of weeks, and social distancing has been practiced on the shop floor where it is possible. Areas of the shop floor are even marked with “6 feet apart” as a visual reminder to provide space between individuals. But what happens when the full staff returns?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued an interim enforcement response plan to protect workers during this coronavirus pandemic, and it provides some small insight as to how manufacturers might proceed when economies begin to slowly emerge from their recent forced hibernation. The most important message to come out of this OSHA announcement is that the agency is aware of ongoing shortages of PPE and knows that companies are making “good faith” efforts to supply workers with what they need. Everyone concedes that best way to prevent people from getting and spreading the coronavirus is by avoiding contact with contagious people, but common sense and planning are as important as PPE, given the equipment shortages and lack of consistent federal support to coordinate the sourcing and distribution of the supplies.

It also should be noted that OSHA will be focusing on those work environments where workers have a “high/very high risk” of contacting the COVID-19 virus, such as hospitals and nursing homes. “Medium risk” settings are those where large gatherings of people are common, such as schools or large retail operations. That places fab shops in the “low risk” area, according to OSHA, but it doesn’t remove them from the responsibility of trying to keep employees safe.

OSHA recommends following the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for work spaces, but reminds companies that some workers are more vulnerable to the coronavirus: those 65 years and older; those being on immunosuppressive drug therapy or otherwise being immunosuppressed; those who have a history of smoking; and those who have medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, asthma or other pulmonary disease, renal failure, liver disease, cancer, or diabetes. Businesses need to consider how these people are being asked to interact with co-workers and customers.

As most people know, hand-made face masks are a last resort, but a likely tool with current shortages of N95 respirators. “Improvised masks are not personal protective equipment and, ideally, should be used with a face shield to cover the front and sides of the face,” the OSHA document states. That combination with gloves sounds like a reasonable directive given current supply chain struggles.

Fabricators looking for more clear directives in terms of how they should protect their employees as a sense of normalcy returns should consult the CDC’s interim guidelines and be vigilant of possible updates. In the meantime, the aforementioned fabricator had some useful suggestions:

  • Have any meetings in the parking lot, when weather permits, so people can spread out. These can be regularly scheduled meetings or updates on what’s going on with the company as it relates to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Add portable hand wash sinks and hand sanitizer stations at key areas, such as the clock-in area.
  • Remove some tables and chairs from break rooms and other areas to keep people 6 ft. apart.
  • Increase cleaning performed each day and have an ample supply of sanitizer wipes for cleaning equipment.
About the Author
The Fabricator

Dan Davis

Editor-in-Chief

2135 Point Blvd.

Elgin, IL 60123

815-227-8281

Dan Davis is editor-in-chief of The Fabricator, the industry's most widely circulated metal fabricating magazine, and its sister publications, The Tube & Pipe Journal and The Welder. He has been with the publications since April 2002.