Consider Buying Harvest PPE Now
We are lucky that we work outdoors to feed our community, our country, and our world—so PPE for a respiratory pandemic may not be on your radar yet. But because of global supply chains, it might be wise to consider your harvest needs now.
In September, schools and universities will be reopening, and mandating mask usage. (See University of Wisconsin’s Smart Restart plan as an example.) While global mask production has caught up to use for medical professionals, the new demands from the education sector might be another strain on supply.
I don’t know yet whether supplying masks for your harvest crew will be legally required, or whether it may simply be a good idea for keeping your crew healthy when they need to work in close quarters. But if you intend to supply masks during harvest, you might want to consider buying them now.
There are 3 principle kinds of face coverings.
- cloth or homemade face coverings deflect sneezes and exhalation so that most flugge droplets don’t leave the mask. Washable and reusable. My mom ran many A-B tests, so if you are interested in making your own, I can give you the template she uses, for each of the 3 head sizes in our family.
- OR masks (operating room masks / surgical masks) deflect sneezes and exhalation, and filter out large particles and protect against droplets and splashes. Disposable.
- N95 and KN95 masks (respirators) provide filtration of 95% of large and small particles, in addition to deflecting sneezes and exhalation. They are intended to be disposable, but research is being done to see if they can be reused, for example after resting in a closed paper bag for 10 days. N95 is the American standard, and KN95 is an international standard. While regulations (for example hospital policy) may require one kind or the other for employees, the air filtration is equivalent.
Note: ‘easy-breathe’ masks with an exhale valve do not protect people other than the wearer. We recommend against using these.
Extension does not recommend any one brand or supplier over another. I do want to let you know about two suppliers I have used personally.
Armbrust are designed and manufactured in the USA. They are still ramping up production so they have limited styles, but their wait times have been accurate so far. Genesee Scientific is a supplier I’ve used for various lab supplies, and their KN95 masks have shipped quickly and are available in large quantities. Gempler’s has KN95s in stock as well, and they’ve always been great to work with.
In case supply is under pressure in the fall–if you expect to provide masks to your harvest workers, whether by regulation or in the interest of safety—you may want to buy that PPE now.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
https://geneseesci.com/shop-online/search/ppe
https://gemplers.com/collections/all/products/coast-kn95-safety-mask
This article was posted in Other News and Resources and tagged COVID-19, Harvest, PPE.