When did you last review your RPE Programme?

It’s great to get back to normality – but many things have changed, including your Respiratory protection needs.

You’ve done your utmost in the most difficult of situations. Sourcing and supplying RPE and hoping that staff can adapt fast and feel confident in their safety has never been tougher than over the past couple of years. Perhaps you’ve experienced shortages or export bans; hiccups in supply may have even forced shutdowns within your organisation.

Now there is a breathing space. It’s time to stop fire-fighting, to take stock and regroup. Consider the current situation and the changes forced upon it. Is your RPE really up to the task, can you rely on its consistent supply and do your staff fully understand the best practice around using and disposing of it? Most importantly, do they feel safe?


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Changing needs in the workplace.

It’s not only that certain staff on the frontline have grown beards and now cannot get a good seal on a standard disposable mask. Many of your workers may have begun performing different tasks due to staff reorganisation. With the shortages in PPE experienced, they may well be using alternative masks to those in use pre-pandemic. And in many organisations, safety exposures may have changed dramatically with recent amendments made to their core activities.

Are you confident that the masks you are using fit correctly and provide a good seal? If alternative or new masks are being used the fit may not be accurate. Ensuring a good fit means the difference between the mask doing its job or not, and a poorly fitting mask can also lead to painful rubbing. Try Anchor Safety’s face fit service to ensure your staff have the right size mask and know how to adjust it to their own head. Contact our Customer Care Specialists for more information.

It is worth taking expert advice to ensure that you are aware of all the options. Where environments and hazards have changed it might be that you need to look at full head respiratory solutions, which rely less on face fit. Integrated full head top respirators, with a choice of head tops, filters, visors and more can offer the perfect combination of protection levels as well as fit, creating the ideal match for your organisation. [View products]

Powered waist mounted options might be preferable where headspace is limited, or necessary for particular hazard types requiring larger filters; these would make a headtop impractical. [View products]

Discussing your needs with a technical specialist at Anchor will enable you to take a close look at your changed situation and to address the issues which are arising in this new world with a full, risk based review. Anchor Safety specialists can ensure that your face fit testing is compliant, aligned with any change in equipment being used or tasks performed and that your decontamination procedures are up to date. And you don’t need to persuade your frontline staff to shave off those bristling beauties – Anchor can advise on powered respiratory solutions to ensure they are as safe as the less hirsute!



A reliable supply chain

Respiratory protection was the most impacted category of PPE during the pandemic. Its limited and variable supply prevented many organisations from continuing activities; preventing such breaks in operation is foremost in the worries of anyone responsible for revising a post Covid PPE programme.

Anchor Safety can offer you unbiased advice on mitigating the risks within your supply chain. With adjustments to your product combinations and inventory management you can minimise the risks of any future product fluctuations. Additionally Anchor can offer use of their bespoke portalto support your RPE programme and make running and monitoring it simple and effective.



Education and best practice

We are all well aware that RPE cannot offer full safety unless it is used properly. Staff returning from furlough have not had to run through safety procedures for a long time. Indeed, the correct protocols for fitting, use and procedures for decontamination or recycling may have even changed in that time.

Anchor Safety does not exist to simply sell you masks. The specialists at Anchor’s Technical Team will work with your organisation: in creating a framework to educate staff in equipment use, on continually promoting best practice and with your maintenance resource to ensure your RPE programme remains safe and effective.

Getting your RPE programme working optimally for your organisation now will set you on the best footing to move forward into a new and somewhat different future. This doesn’t have to be as complex or worrying a challenge as you might imagine - with Anchor Safety’s expert advisors ready to help you address every issue you might have, a fully integrated and reliable solution will really futureproof your RPE provision. Contact our specialist advisors today to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

To discuss your RPE requirements
call the Anchor team on: 0800 328 5028
or email: customer.care@anchorsafety.co.uk