Face visors

[ace13]

I've been wearing a face visor due to not being able to wear face mask cos of hidden disability issues. Suddenly been told that you have to wear a mask under the visor. Is that fact , any literature on this and what advice can be given to help Thanks

[theotherone]

It's true that a visor isn't classed in the same protective bracket as a mask,but as like you said you have a hidden disability then wearing a visor would be better the nothing at all.
IMO it would be foolish for a manager or anyone to make you wear a mask if you are exempt.

[theotherone]

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... p?id=12946

Page 4

[david3595]

Union and Management advised us that if we operate machinery or use a sharp instrument in any part of our work area and wear glasses then a mask is not required but a visor will be suffice. I guess glasses steaming up is a health and safety risk. I know at least 18 staff who at first wore a mask or visor or didn’t wear mask correctly and have all now stopped wearing any PPE. They all told management it hindered their breathing and was never mentioned again

[PostmanBitesDog]

Suddenly been told that you have to wear a mask under the visor. Is that fact, any literature on this and what advice can be given to help

Thus far, studies have shown that face shields aren't entirely effective against fine droplets of saliva in the air; they're only effective against larger droplets.

This BBC report from August 7th sheds some light:

BBC (Aug. 7, 2020) ~ Why a Face Shield Alone May Not Protect You From Coronavirus

In some countries, including the UK, governments have issued official advice that visors be worn by staff who work in close contact with members of the public, such as hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattoo artists and studio photographers. People who are testifying in court, giving lectures or performing in public are also recommended to wear face shields by some US states. Similar advice is offered by the government in Singapore while some states in Australia say face shields can be worn instead of face masks in public.

These are certainly great at stopping larger droplets of spit leaving the mouth of the wearer – [Matthais Echternach, head of phoniatrics and paediatric audiology at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich] and his team’s experiments showed they quickly become speckled with moisture. Similarly they also help to protect the spit of others hitting the wearer’s face.

[...]

Where things get difficult is with what happens to the aerosols when wearing a plastic shield.

“Nearly all of the aerosols were coming around the side of the face shield and reached nearly the same distances as without wearing anything,” says Echternach. These results are still to be published, but Echternach says they should serve as a warning for anyone relying on face shields alone to keep them safe as pandemic lockdowns are eased.

“They are certainly not effective when you are in close contact with someone,” he says.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to agree with him – it does not recommend face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for masks. The Swiss health authorities have also warned against using face visors instead of masks after an investigation into an outbreak of Covid-19 at a hotel in the canton of Graubünden revealed all those who were infected had been wearing plastic face shields, while those who avoided infection were in masks.

[...]

When the [Israel Institute for Biological Research] researchers moved the “cough source” just 30cm (1ft) above or below the mask – but still kept it 60cm away horizontally – the mannequin's face became spattered with droplets that spilled in around the sides of the visor. In these situations they estimated that the visor was only 45% effective at blocking droplets.

[k979aaa]

And yet most touch their chin mask and leave it for others to find and dolphins were never meant to ware them but they do!

[wandle]

Union and Management advised us that if we operate machinery or use a sharp instrument in any part of our work area and wear glasses then a mask is not required but a visor will be suffice. I guess glasses steaming up is a health and safety risk. I know at least 18 staff who at first wore a mask or visor or didn’t wear mask correctly and have all now stopped wearing any PPE. They all told management it hindered their breathing and was never mentioned again

Face masks are NOT classed as PPE by the Health & Safety Executive, as there is no common standard for their manufacture.

Dave Joyce has indicated exempt means exactly that, exempt.
http://www.cwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... ument1.pdf
‘Government advice states that nobody should be made to obtain a medical note as evidence for their exemption. Employers should approach this based on trust, and not force anyone with an exemption to wear a face covering.

It concludes that union reps will wish to seek assurances from management that no member is penalised or otherwise discriminated against based on exemption’