Surgical-style and KN95 masks are available upon request to the University community through the Facilities website:  Face Mask Request Form.

N95 masks are considered respirators and are provided to employees who require them in their work, such as our healthcare staff and some Facilities and research employees. However, they require training, fit testing, and medical clearance to wear effectively and safely, and to comply with OSHA’s Respirator Standard.

Employees who would like to wear an N95 on a voluntary basis can do so, but would need to receive information on their safe use in compliance with the OSHA standard. Most people find wearing an N95 respirator for extended periods to be very uncomfortable.  They tend to restrict breathing much more than a 3-ply procedure mask and have other limitations.

If you intend to wear an N95 voluntarily at work, either:

Review this document: Voluntary Use of Filtering Facepiece Respirators
or
Log in to HuskySMS and take the online training: Respiratory Protection--Voluntary Use of Dust Masks (online).

You should clean your bottled water cooler before resuming use.

Unplug or turn off the dispenser.

Drain the dispenser through the taps, dispose of the water, and remove the bottle.

Put in a new bottle, flush some water through both taps and dispose of the water.

Clean the taps and dispensing area with food-safe sanitizer spray or wipes.

Wash drip tray with hot water and dish soap.

Plug in/turn on your dispenser

If your cooler has had a bottle removed for an extended period, please contact your vendor for additional cleaning recommendations.

Water fountains and bottle fillers are safe to use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The risk of getting COVID-19 from touching a solid surface (like a water fountain button) is low, and COVID-19 has not been found in drinking water.

Air filtration units are not necessary in our occupied spaces, especially in buildings serviced by mechanical ventilation systems. Facilities Operations has continued to perform preventative maintenance (PM) on the University’s HVAC systems, including changing filters on a regular basis. HVAC systems have continued to operate regardless of the occupancy status of the buildings. However, if your department chooses to purchase stand-alone units for comfort purposes, keep these requirements in mind:

• They must only utilize HEPA filters (or combination HEPA and carbon filters – many units on the market incorporate both HEPA filters for particulates and carbon filters for odors.)
• No ionizers or photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) technologies – these are marketed as able to remove odors, smoke, and other contaminants, but they can produce ozone, a harmful respirator irritant and/or other hazardous by-products.
• No UV – these units can produce ozone and also has the potential for harmful UV exposure to eyes and skin.
• Portable units may also contribute to overload of electrical circuits in some locations.
• Nuisance noise can be generated from the units, especially when operated at higher levels. Operating at low levels, however, reduces the effectiveness of the unit.
• Departments interested in purchasing stand-alone units should contact University Business Services Supply Chain Operations to discuss options.