WARNING: The recommendations contained herein are based solely on the information available to Scott
Safety at the time of publication. You are encouraged, on a regular basis, to read and review all relevant
guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the European Centre
for Disease Prevention and Control.
Reusable PPE should be used and cleaned according to manufacturer instructions and current healthcare
policies.
For comprehensive information about Scott Safety and Ebola, please see Scott Safety’s official response on
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
What guidance does Scott provide for Ebola protection?
Based on current World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Centers for Disease Control (US CDC)
guidance, at minimum, for respiratory protection, an N95 respirator that is NIOSH approved may be used for
Ebola infection control. The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been recommended by numerous
agencies as part of a larger comprehensive infection control response when caring for persons with known or
suspected Ebola. The situation is changing rapidly and therefore you should consult the most current
information regarding Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) response from your local health authority.
For more details, please refer to Scott’s Official Response on PPE for Ebola.
Which Scott products provide protection against Ebola?
Please refer to this list of Scott Safety products that may protect against the Ebola Virus Disease.
Who should wear PPE for protection against Ebola?
Guidance has been developed by the US CDC and WHO, considering the high rate of morbidity and mortality
among infected patients, the lack of approved vaccine and therapeutics and the risk of human to human
transmission. Ebola is believed to be spread by direct contact with an infected person’s blood or bodily fluids.
Transmission may also occur from contaminated objects, surfaces, or infected animals. Transmission by air has
not been documented, but there exists risk of transmission by inhalation of contaminated aerosols in areas of
poor environmental control or during aerosol generating procedures (AGP).
With this in mind PPE for ALL healthcare personnel must be considered. This extends to all persons, paid and
unpaid, working in a healthcare setting who have the potential for exposure to patients and/or infectious
materials. Not only should physicians, nurses, etc. be evaluated for exposure risk but also those not directly
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involved in patient care, such as dietary, house-keeping and security, whom may be potentially exposed to
infectious agents.
What are effective standard infection control precautions?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the following for all healthcare personnel who have the
potential for exposure to Ebola:
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Hand hygiene
Appropriate PPE based on risk assessment at the point of care
Respiratory hygiene
Prevention of injuries from needles and other sharp instruments
Safe waste disposal
Cleaning and disinfection of the environment
Safe handling of contaminated linens
Cleaning and disinfection of patient-care equipment
Recommended PPE for all situations involving suspected and known cases of EVD include:
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Gloves
Gown (fluid resistant or impermeable)
Eye protection
Facemask
For situations involving high levels of contaminated blood or body fluids and/or aerosol generating procedures
the following additional PPE may be used:
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Double gloving
Disposable shoe covers
Leg coverings
Respiratory protection
Is there anything else I should know about the use of PPE with Ebola?
While wearing PPE, the wearer should avoid touching or adjusting PPE, change gloves between patients, remove
gloves if they become torn or damaged, and perform hand hygiene before putting on new gloves.
It is critical that proper procedures for the order of putting on and taking off PPE be followed. Both the WHO
and US CDC have developed specific guidance. Manufacturer specific guidance should be followed where
applicable for individual items to ensure that the device works as intended.
Re-usable PPE should be cleaned and disinfected according to manufacturer instructions and healthcare policies.
The choice of disinfectant should be based on healthcare policies and compatibility of the disinfectant confirmed
with the PPE manufacturer. Those whom collect and handle soiled re-usable PPE should be trained individuals
using PPE themselves.
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What do I look for when selecting respiratory protection?
For bioaerosols such as Ebola Virus, particulate respirators are recommended to reduce exposure. Per WHO and
US CDC guidance, at minimum a FFP2 / N95 / P2 respirator as approved by local certification standards (EN149,
NIOSH 42 CFR pt 84, AS1716) may be used. These are typically filtering facepiece respirators that are disposable
after limited use, with extended use allowed in specific circumstances. Disposable respirators often have use
limitations, such as no more than 8 hours or single shift only. Manufacturer’s instructions should be consulted
when considering reuse of disposable respirators.
Reusable elastomeric half masks and full facemasks, along with a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) with
particulate filter, may also be used. Respirator classifications vary by local standard and clarification should be
sought from the manufacturer to verify the classification of the chosen respirator aligns with the WHO and US
CDC guidance. In Europe, per EN143, a P2 or P3 filter may be used. For European powered air purifying
respirators (PAPR), per EN12941/2, headtop systems must hold particulate TH 2 or TH 3 ratings and facemask
systems must hold particulate TM 2 or TM 3 ratings. In the US, per NIOSH, a filter of any of the nine following
types listed may be used: N95/N99/N100, R95/R99/R100 and P95/P99/P100. US PAPR systems must be used
with a HE particulate filter. In Australia and New Zealand, per AS1716, a P2 or P3 filter may be used.
Are respirators effective against Ebola?
The effectiveness of a respirator is dependent upon a properly executed respiratory protection plan in
accordance with local standards. EN 529, US OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134, and AS1715 provide guidance for selection
and use of respiratory equipment. Manufacturer’s instructions must also be followed to ensure proper
functioning of the respirator. This is important as respirators reduce the exposure to airborne contaminants but
do not prevent all exposure. The guidance, selection and use standards enumerate assigned protection factors
for different types of respirators. This accounts for observed historical performance of respirators from past
workplace protection factor studies on other contaminants and the minimum levels of accepted leakage from all
sources: filter and facepiece. The filtration efficiency of the selected filter for a respirator only covers leakage
due to the filter and does not indicate the overall leakage resulting from the equipment as maintained, fitted
and worn. As such, no respirator will entirely eliminate the risk of exposure.
What are the recommended cleaning and disinfecting procedures for reusable PPE?
Please use manufacturer recommendations for cleaning. Cleaning instructions are provided in the instructions
for use for each product. More details on cleaning and disinfecting Scott products can be found in the Scott
Official Response to Ebola.
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What type of respiratory protection should be worn when conducting PPE cleaning and disinfection?
Depending upon the application method and environment concentrations, some disinfectants such as chlorine
may pose an additional inhalation hazard. In this case, the recommended PPE, including respiratory protection
with filter appropriate for the disinfectant, should be used. For airborne concentrations of chlorine up to 10
ppm, when using a respirator with a minimum assigned protection factor of 10, a chemical cartridge classified as
B type, per EN/AS standards, or CL per NIOSH standards may be used. PPE used during cleaning and disinfection
should also be considered contaminated and included in the PPE cleaning, disinfection, and disposal cycle to
minimize contamination.
Does Scott plan to issue any additional information about the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak?
Scott Safety is carefully monitoring the situation as it is rapidly evolving and will release additional information
as we are made aware. For the most up-to-date information on the Ebola virus, we recommend you consult
these authorities on a regular basis:
World Health Organization (WHO): www.who.int
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (EDCD): www.ecdc.europa.eu
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA): www.osha.gov
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