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Masks for your team.
To give credit where credit is due, I was given this idea by a great client and friend, Carla Kaminga of Hendrix Heating in Corvallis Oregon. She found the "pleated pocket style masks" worked very well with a layer of MERV 13 inserted in the pocket. She even helped her local hospital obtain quantities of MERV 13 material and they are now using the same design for their support personnel.
What makes these masks better than typical designs out there, is the removeable MERV 13 layer that is part of the mask. MERV 13 is the minimum rated filter efficiency you can use to stop virus nuclei contained in droplets. Because the design does not incorporate plastic, the masks can easily be sterilized in an oven and then reused. The other thing that makes the masks ideal is that most contractors have easy access to MERV 13 material in the filters they sell.
We found that one AprilAire® Space-Gard® MERV 13 filter can provide enough filter material for over 80 masks. We commissioned 100 pocket masks (creation instructions are posted at the link below). to be built from a friend who is a seamstress. Once the masks were created, I cut and inserted the MERV 13 material.
Obviously, this type of mask is not medical grade, but it is probably the best protection currently available for your team. Right now, it's all a numbers game and you want to improve the odds for your people as much as possible.
As for cleaning and sterilization, viruses expire at temperatures over 145°F. Placing the entire cloth mask with the filter inside, into a preheated 170°F oven 30 minutes should easily sterilize it for reuse without damaging the material, filter, or elastic.
The biggest benefit I discovered about providing masks for your team, is that when you wear one, you become hyper-aware that you are wearing it. This alone keeps you extremely focused on the situation and the potential dangers of contamination by touching things around you. As an added benefit, it keeps the wearer from inadvertently touching their mouth or nose should they touch an object the virus has contaminated.
However, the best part of making and providing the masks for our team was when I drove to each of their houses to deliver them. Standing on their porch and giving one to both the tech and their spouse was probably one of the best ways to let them know that they matter to us. It showed them that we wanted not only them but their family to also be safe. Although it wasn't our goal, from the reactions I saw, the effort and resources we put towards this ended up being received as so much more. It made me realize how important it is for your people to see and know that ‘you have their back’.
Stay safe —dave
