COVID-19 Risk Management

As we continue to service several clients with specifics as toward meaningful COVID-19 risk reduction, we get some of the same questions over and over. While we’re happy to take peoples’ money, our services usually are targeted toward a SPECIFIC scenario or set of scenarios. So unless you need a plan for a specific work or transportation setup, you’re probably better off using your own best judgment.

We get alot of questions about PPE and mask usage in the workplace. In OUR opinion (and after consulting with health and medical experts) it comes down to what YOUR workers want. While having availability of hand sanitizers and PPE is always prudent–as well as encouraging personnel to use these–there’s no real advantage towards a ‘corporate policy’ regarding this. If you can let people who desire work from home, do so. If not, then don’t.

After reviewing past statistics from the 1968 HKG flu, H1N1, and COVID-19 in detail, our analysis of metadata comes very close to the unadulterated WHO consensus. Mask usage in the workplace or across a general population is useless and counterproductive in mitigating COVID-19 spread. While this might appear counterintuitive, how effective a mask is depends wholly on HOW the individual chooses to wear it and maintain it. For example, a properly fitted respirator or N95 type mask (WITH A GOOD SEAL) can have a beneficial effect IF properly maintained (either through hourly sanitization or replacement), and if NOT routinely touched (which prompts surface to mask and vice versa transmission). This takes substantial effort, and is part of a much larger sanitization effort. If these conditions are not met, masking presents substantial hazard as well as degrading effectiveness of the work force (in terms of all forms of verbal and non-verbal communication as well as other factors).

Our evaluation of how masking works in the ‘real world’ and in ‘real world’ workplace environments is anything but how it might work in a clinical setting. We were contracted by several clients to observe mask usage and behavior as well as review on-property video and found that there were very few masks with a seal of any kind; most simply directed air upward rather than outward (usually readily apparent to the wearer by the mask fogging glasses–if glasses are fogging you probably do NOT have a good seal). This results in micron and tens of micron aerosolized particles flowing past the eyes (a postulated transmission vector) and through the Venturi effect not only increasing particle transmission (and potential virus/bacterial laden aerosolized colonies), but also resulting in the vector sum of traveling distance being greater than if simply exhaled through the nose. While SOME particles are retained by double cloth masks, these are quickly aerosolized (including retained sneezes or coughs) as the moisture in the mask reaches equilibrium with the surroundings–equivalent to the wet-bulb temperature scenario. These aerosols are micron-plus in size, allowing for rampant spread of COVID and other pathogens (the mask forms a sort of large bowl ‘covid carburetor’ if not cleaned and sanitized at very frequent intervals). The warm-wet environment held close to the face (along with sweat) provides a near ideal growth opportunity for many types of pathogens, and the masks were frequently touched and moved such that pathogen transmission to surface from mask and from surface to mask could and did occur–endangering health by allowing surface contamination to grow right next to a place where a person was breathing. While there was SOME value in being able to retain larger droplets from a sneeze or cough, these were quickly aerosolized and spread by the unsanitized mask. Moreover, such events could be mitigated by a policy that asked a person not to sneeze or cough in the open (perhaps into a hand or elbow) or on others–and by having hand sanitizer stations available.

In that it’s basically impossible to ensure any mask would have a continuous seal or be sanitized at intervals which inhibit pathogen growth, our recommendation to clients has been to ask workers NOT wear masks (at least in situations where COVID or bacterial respiratory threats are the primary concern) while providing high air turnover (or alternatively UV-sanitizer devices) and other surface and air cleaning apparatus. We endorse training which stresses the need for surface cleanliness as well as mitigating the amount of times a person might touch his or her face after some form of hand to surface contact. IF workers (or customers in businesses open to the general public) wish to wear masks, we’ve advised clients to allow this, but also to stress the necessity to sterilize these masks at regular intervals to prevent inevitable pathogen buildup. And to stress that masks CAN be dangerous towards health unless carefully maintained (and as such an individual is likely better off without one if he is unwilling or unable to maintain it). Of note is that COVID-19 is very susceptible to UV and where UV might be utilized to sterilize (without presenting a threat to humans in that UV IS a form of ionizing radiation) to utilize it to the maximum extent possible.

Gloves and other forms of PPE are of similar philosophy; up to the individual but IF the individual chooses to use it then it needs to be sanitized at regular intervals.

We hope this clears some questions up and can provide insight for a ‘macro’ view of what we do. Again, our services are targeted towards SPECIFIC scenarios so if you’re looking for general advice this is not really what we specialize in.