Reusable Respirators in Healthcare Get High Marks

Healthcare workers who received reusable respirators, such as elastomeric half-mask respirators, during the COVID-19 pandemic gave high ratings to their workplace safety climate.
That’s just one of the findings of NIOSH’s healthcare worker survey published last week.
NIOSH noted that demand surges during the COVID-19 pandemic for disposable filtering facepiece respirators like N95 mask led to widespread shortages across industries, including healthcare.
From October 2021 to November 2022, NIOSH researchers developed and administered an online survey of healthcare workers about the perceived safety climate when reusable respirators were provided during the pandemic.
Those who were aware of their employer’s respiratory protection program rated their personal protective equipment safety climate an average of 4.11 points compared with 3.84 among those unaware of it.
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Nearly half of those surveyed by Randstad US strongly support getting the resources to help them feel psychologically safe.
The staffing firm’s survey of 1,052 U.S. workers revealed that 64% feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, and 78% believe their political stances don’t endanger their employment.
However, 20% said they experienced a drop in productivity as a result of political discussions.
The respondents suggested that employers can help by providing mental health support and HR guidance for how to deal with sensitive discussions.
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Big-box retailers will soon be required to provide panic buttons for employees in New York state after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law requiring the increase in safety protections for store workers.
The Retail Worker Safety Act, which will go into effect 180 days after the Sept. 5 signing, requires that, among other things, retailers with 10 or more employees adopt a violence prevention plan and maintain records of violent incidents for at least three years.
Retailers with more than 500 employees nationwide will also be required to install panic buttons in easily accessible locations or provide wearable panic buttons or mobile-phone-based alarm devices to alert emergency officials. This provision of the law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
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NIOSH’s office for Total Worker Health has launched an open-source database that contains de-identified data from uses of the agency’s Worker Well-Being Questionnaire, NIOSH WellBQ.
The HERO Worker Well-Being Clearinghouse is in collaboration with the Health Enhancement Research Organization.
Employers and organizations can use the online portal to administer the NIOSH WellBQ to better understand workforce safety, health, and well-being.
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