‘Fit testing’ masks for care workers
LEICESTERSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service are helping to keep local care workers safe at work, by ‘fit testing’ facemasks.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to local multi-agency support to assist with testing the fit of facemasks worn by domiciliary and residential staff, personal assistants and carers in special schools in Leicestershire.
Ben Bee, group manager at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, who helped to facilitate this support to the care sector, said: “The aim was to face fit test carers who look after some of the most vulnerable adults and children across the county, where airway support procedures are given. Facemask fit testing is largely new to the care sector but it is part of their recommended PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for some procedures during Covid-19.
“We wanted to respond to this request for help, so Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service purchased a Portacount face fit testing machine and asked for volunteers from across the service, to become face fit testers.”
There are currently eight volunteers across the service, including support staff, on-call and wholetime firefighters, who are trained to use the testing machine, which measures the effectiveness of a facemask.
To date, over 250 care workers masks have been tested.
The volunteers, have a number of appointments throughout the day abiding by the Government’s two-meter social distancing rule.
Where possible the care workers supply testers with the mask they use. If they don’t have one, masks are provided. The machine is plugged into the mask and the background particles in the room are measured, along with the particles they breathe out. The score between the two identifies how effective that mask is at protecting them from potential COVID-19 when they are undertaking tasks that generate aerosol.
The volunteer testers are able to advise each person whether the mask fits securely. Information on how to put the mask on correctly is given to the worker, along with a certificate to prove testing has taken place and to record the outcome.