Helpful Guidance for Procuring PPE

Review your businesses COVID-19 operation plan along with your businesses typical PPE needs to see what PPE is needed. Be sure to include employee needs as well as the needs of any potential visitors or customers based on your plan. As you develop your plan, also keep the following in mind:

Be Flexible - Keep in mind your plan may change as new information is discovered, as more people return to work and as PPE availability changes across the supply chain. You may want to revisit your needs on a scheduled basis to adjust ordering requests.

Explore Reusable / Washable Options- Options that might be reusable or washable could meet your needs.

• Some cloth facial coverings can be washed and
• Some companies have recently been approved for decontaminating disposable face

Communicate Needs – Communicate your projected needs to your current suppliers in a timely fashion so they can prepare for any increases or decreases in PPE needs. A decrease in your needs may make PPE available to another business in need.

Be Aware of Local Vendors and Suppliers - Review the list of vendor resources including local resources for PPE and cloth face coverings.

• Local groups have been assembling cloth face coverings to Be sure to reach out to local community groups and also make the list of resources available to employees who may want to utilize a cloth facial cover outside of the workplace.
• Some laundry service vendors might offer cloth facial coverings or additional PPE so be sure to check with these

Use Accurate PPE Description – Be as specific or general as your needs are when ordering PPE and work with your PPE supplier to ensure the product you receive will meet your needs. Communicating your specific needs might also help prevent ordering unnecessary PPE.

• In some cases “gloves” will be the only description needed for ordering purposes such as vinyl one size fits all gloves. In other cases gloves will need to be tailored to the work environment and an identified risk such as nitrile gloves used to withstand exposure to harsh chemicals or sterile gloves used for surgery.
• In some cases a cloth facial covering will suffice in the prevention of spread of COVID-19. In other cases the face mask might be specific to a work environmental risk such as chemical vapors or in a hospital setting to protect from airborne In other cases face shields are used to protect the wearer from airborne droplets or sprays or certain harmful wavelengths of light.

Click here to download this guidance as a PDF.

PPE Resources 

• National Grain and Feed Association’s COVID-19 Distributors
• Ohio Emergency PPE Makers’ Exchange (OMA)
• Private Sector PPE Exchange Dashboard (FEMA)