What Personal Protective Equipment is appropriate?

A person working on a platform 8 feet in the air using a 50' lanyard firmly attached to a beam 2 feet above the worker's head. Everything is right except the worker will hit the floor before the lanyard stops him.
A truck driver walks into a welding shop and stares at the arc because he is wearing his truck driver sunglasses will soon be blind from retina damage despite wearing tinted lenses.
A worker removing asbestos wears a dust mask to prevent breathing in the particulate will soon develop cancer.
A guy working in a virus lab wears a medical mask to prevent getting the virus. He will soon be a very sick individual.

The point of this mind exercise is to get people to realize that just because you are wearing PPE does not make you safe. Is the PPE being worn properly? Is the PPE effective against the environment that you are entering?

Just food for thought the next time a politician tells you to wear a mask to stop the spread of a virus. There isn't a mask on the market that will do that. You need a full pressurized suit with an outside air source for that.

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Quimliqer · 70-79, M

But it stops the droplets in your breath reaching others. Your right, it will not protect you from breathing in droplets in the atmosphere around you, but if everyone wore one it would curtail the spread dramatically..

hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@Quimliqer The problem is we don't know if that is the method of transfer. It certainly could be droplets or it could be airborne. We simply don't know. We can't trace it so it seems more likely airborne than droplet.

Quimliqer · 70-79, M

@hippyjoe1955 Airborne is a potential risk, with no evidence at this point. It’s definitely being studied at this time to understand if there is a risk.
What is known is infected or asystematic people do spread the virus through droplets in the exhaled breath.

hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@Quimliqer Not exactly true. We literally don't know how it is spread. Could be droplets, could be airborne but there simply is no evidence one way or the other. It just kind of seems to show up when least wanted. What is clear is that none of the PPE used is effective. If it were there would not be mass outbreaks in senior's residences. Senior's residences have the highest PPE protocols possible but seniors are still getting sick and dying and politicians are still pushing for more PPE. Short of a negative pressure sealed unit for the residents and pressurized outside air supply 'space suits' for the staff the virus will continue to spread. No mask or goggles will stop a virus. They are simply too small.