PPE Safety Officer

Role summary

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Safety Officer

is a trained member of staff who is competent and

confident to support health care workers to safely use

PPE required for contact with patients with suspected or

confirmed COVID-19.

The PPE Safety Officer’s role is to ensure staff are

trained to wear the correct PPE to provide protection

against the risks associated with a procedure or task

being undertaken in a COVID-19 clinical work area. The

PPE Safety Officer also provides staff training and

supervision so that PPE is removed in an order that

minimises the risk of self-contamination.

The PPE Safety Officer is a highly visible member of

staff whose purpose is to ensure staff are safe in a

COVID-19 clinical work area. Officers should answer

questions and provide factual reassurance to staff to

ultimately give confidence that their safety is of the

highest priority.

Role responsibilities

Deliver ward based training to clinical and non-clinical

health care workers on the correct and safe use of

PPE for non-aerosol generating procedures, aerosol

generating procedures and high risk areas.

Utilising the PPE posters supervise staff to ensure all

required PPE is safely put on before entering a

COVID-19 clinical workspace for the task being

performed and/or environment being entered.

Utilising the PPE posters supervise and assist staff

from a distance of 2 metres to safely remove PPE in

the correct order when exiting a COVID-19 clinical

work space.

Role responsibilities (cont.)

Provide reassurance to staff to help allay anxieties

relating to confidence levels in practice or

redeployment into alternative areas. Work

collaboratively with managers’, the health and

wellbeing team and education department to address

any skills gaps or signpost for further H&WB

services/resources.

Deliver training to staff on how and when to

effectively perform hand hygiene with alcohol hand

rub and with soap and water.

Provide access to PPE donning and doffing posters

and staff resources to COVID-19 work areas.

To wear the PPE safety officer high-vis jacket so to

be visible to all staff.

Escalate any issues to IPC relating to supply of

equipment.

Guidance to be given to staff

Key messages

• Donning is a term used to describe putting on PPE.

Doffing is a term used to describe taking off PPE.

• PPE must be removed is a specific order to prevent

the risk of inadvertent self-contamination.

• Hand hygiene with either alcohol hand rub or soap

and water is essential to keep ourselves, staff and

our patients safe.

• A fit test must be performed to ensure that an FFP3

respirator can properly fit the wearers face shape with

no gaps between the respirator and face for air to

pass unfiltered.

Guidance to be given to staff

Key messages

• FFP3 respirators can only provide effective protection

if the wearer is clean shaven.

• Staff should complete a successful fit check of their

FFP3 respirator before entering a COVID-19 work

areas.

• Gloves must be changed between patients and

between tasks for the same patient. Hand hygiene

should be performed between glove changes.

• Doffing of PPE should be undertaken in a methodical

manner; better to be slow and safe.

How does COVID-19 spread?

Exposure to large respiratory droplets & vomit

• Coughing onto mucous membranes

(mouth/eyes/nose)

• Need close contact for this to occur (within 2 metres)

Contact with respiratory secretions

• Transferred by touching mucous membranes

• Tissues/surfaces contaminated with respiratory

secretions

COVID-19 is NOT transmitted in air except if a

patient is undergoing a procedure that generates

aerosols.

How does COVID-19 spread?

The transmission of COVID-19 is thought to occur

mainly through respiratory droplets generated by

coughing and sneezing, and through contact with

contaminated surfaces. The predominant modes of

transmission are assumed to be droplet and contact.

During AGPs there is an increased risk of aerosol

spread of infectious agents irrespective of the mode of

transmission (contact, droplet, or airborne), and airborne

precautions must be implemented when performing

aerosol generating procedure (AGPs), including those

carried out on a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-

19.

List of aerosol generating procedures

• Intubation, extubation and related procedures e.g.

manual ventilation and open suctioning of the

respiratory tract (including the upper respiratory tract)

• Tracheotomy/tracheostomy procedures

(insertion/open suctioning/removal)

• Bronchoscopy and upper ENT airway procedures that

involve suctioning

• Upper Gastro-intestinal Endoscopy where there is

open suctioning of the upper respiratory tract

• Surgery and post mortem procedures involving high-

speed devices

• Some dental procedures (e.g. high-speed drilling)

List of aerosol generating procedures (cont.)

• Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) e.g. Bi-level Positive

Airway Pressure Ventilation (BiPAP) and Continuous

Positive Airway Pressure Ventilation (CPAP)

• High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation (HFOV)

•

• Induction of sputum

• High flow nasal oxygen (HFNO)

• CPR is also an Aerosol Generating Procedure

Procedures which are NOT aerosol generating

• Administration of pressurised humidified oxygen

• Administration of medication via nebulisation

Higher risk acute care areas

• Critical Care

• Respiratory high care areas

• Operating theatres

• Emergency Department Resuscitation Room

• Endoscopy units

1) Hold the respirator in one hand and separate the edges to fully

open it with the other hand.

2) Expose the two headbands, and then separate them using your

index finger and thumb cup the respirator under your chin.

3) Position the upper headband on the crown of your head, above the ears

The lower strap at the back of your head below your ears

4) Ensure that the respirator is flat against your cheeks.

• FFP3 respirators are available in different sizes and designs, use only the model and size which a fit test has shown is correct for the wearer.

• The respirator images shown below are for illustrative purposes only. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

5) Mould the nosepiece across the bridge of your nose by firmly pressing down

with your fingers until you have a good facial fit. if a good fit cannot be achieved, do not proceed.

1) Cover the front of the respirator with both hands, being careful

not to disturb the position of the respirator on the face.

2) For an un-valved product – exhale sharply; for a valved product –

inhale sharply.

3) If air flows around the nose, readjust the nosepiece; if air flows around

the edges of the respirator, readjust the headbands.

4) A successful fit check is when there is no air leaking from the edges of

the respirator. Always perform a fit check before entering the work area.

• FFP3 respirators are available in different sizes and designs, use only the model and size which a fit test has shown is correct for the wearer.

• The respirator images shown below are for illustrative purposes only. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

5) If a successful fit check cannot be achieved, remove and refit the respirator. If

you still cannot obtain a successful fit check, do not enter the work area..

Remember • Respirators must be used with other necessary personal

protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns, gloves and compatible eye protection.

• Respirators should be discarded after each use.

• Respirators should be disposed of as healthcare waste.

• Hand hygiene must always be performed following removal and disposal of PPE.

• The fit check is not a substitute for fit testing • Fit testing should be carried out by a properly trained

competent fit tester. Other guidance is available on bacterial infections and pulmonary tuberculosis.

PPE for an AGP

PPE for Non-AGP

Essential training Keep up to date with your mandatory e-learning You can access a video demonstration here: DONNING - AGP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKz_vNGsNhc DOFFING - AGP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUo5O1JmLH0 DONNING & DOFFING: Non – AGP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GncQ_ed-9w

Additional COVID-19 & Respiratory information can be found here: https://buckshealthcare.nhs.libguides.com/coronavirus/refreshertraining

Where to get help and further information Our PPE Safety Officers can be contacted on 07929 332650 during 08:00 – 16:00 and via switchboard out of hours or bleep 803 Infection Prevention & Control on SMH (110) 5337 during working hours On-call Microbiologist (via the switchboard) out of hours Further information can be found here: https://www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk/coronavirus