PODCAST: Navigating proper mask selection and usage

Mask policies have been widely implemented across Canada as a primary way to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Usage recommendations have shifted periodically as health experts continue to learn more about this virus, including a recent shift towards three-layer masks.

Wagish Yajaman, Manager of Specialty Services with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) in Mississauga, Ont., recently joined OHS Canada editor Marcel Vander Wier on the Safe Zone podcast to discuss proper mask selection and usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Yajaman responds to the following questions:

• What advice might you have for employers or workers on new mask layering recommendations, as well as mask usage with regards to Ontario’s new colour coding framework?
• Are all employees required to wear a mask? How do you determine this? What if employees or customers choose to defy public health advice?
• Disposables, reusables, cloth, respirators — with so many options available, how should employers and safety leaders go about selecting masks for their staff?
• What type of viable alternatives can you suggest to the N95?
• What is current best practice for safely handling, using and disposing of face coverings?