Face covers for Worker Safety

Help the Heroes!

Thousands of healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery clerks, at-home delivery personnel, mail carriers and others on the front lines of this pandemic are heroes – risking exposure to coronavirus to help others. Let’s help aid in the health and safety of these heroes by making face covers!

Join the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) and the Association For Creative Industries (AFCI) to make and donate homemade face covers to businesses in your local communities to slow the spread of exposure and infection of coronavirus.

AAOHN recommends the following CDC guidelines for face coverings:

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Tips

Face covering should reach above the nose, below the chin, and completely cover the mouth and nostrils; fit snugly against the side of the face; be made of multiple layers of fabric that you can breathe through; and, be able to be laundered without damaging the material or shape.
If you plan to donate your homemade face coverings to your front line and essential workers in your community, we recommend calling ahead to see if they have any requirements or donation instructions.
For occupational health nurses and others who are front line and essential workers, create a page and process so your local community can find ways to donate to your workers.

Instructional Resources

Mask Match: Send Your Masks Without Leaving Your Home
New York Times: Mask Illustrations
New York Times: Mask Instructions
Martha Stewart: Patterns
CNN: How to Make a Mask (sewing and non-sewing instructions)
Centers for Disease Control: DIY Face Covering

Basic Supply List

While there are many tutorials on the internet, the basic equipment you will need is listed below:

Scissors
Fabric (Densely woven is recommended)
Elastic
Thread
Needle
Pins
Ruler
Sewing machine (optional)

Where to Donate

Contact organizations within your local community to confirm they’re accepting homemade face covers and the process to provide face covers with no-contact:

First responders, such as fire, police, EMS
Hospitals or urgent care centers
Grocery stores
Restaurants
US post office or mail carrier
Social workers
Sanitation workers
Warehouse and factory workers
Water and sewage utility services
Nursing homes
Delivery driver, such as UPS, DHL, FedEx, Amazon
Post an ask or availability of masks on your personal social media and make the permissions public to share

Additionally, you can send face coverings to the address below to support truck drivers and other at-risk personnel.

Mid State Occupational Health Services Inc.
Attn: Kim Olszewski
130 Buffalo Road, ste. 104
Lewisburg, PA 17837

If you are in need of face covers for your essential employees, you can email your information to info@aaohn.org to be included on the list.

Join the Fight Against COVID-19

Use the sample social media posts and available graphics to share your support on social media. Or create your own message that means something to you or company.

CLICK TO POST ON TWITTER

Thousands of essential workers risk exposure to COVID-19 every day, and these heroes are in need of protective face covers. Join me in the fight to keep these workers safe by donating face covers to businesses in your community. https://bit.ly/2V6aotS #facecoversforworkers

CLICK TO POST ON LINKEDIN

As an occupational health nurse, I am called upon to provide care for workers and their families during the coronavirus pandemic. Join me, @AAOHN and @AFCI_Global by making and donating homemade face covers to essential front line workers in your local community. https://bit.ly/2V6aotS #facecoversforworkers

CLICK TO POST ON FACEBOOK

I made these face covers and am donating them to [insert organization] to support the local heroes in my community that are on the front lines of this pandemic. You can make and donate face covers in your community too! https://bit.ly/2V6aotS #facecoversforworkers #thankahero

CLICK TO POST ON TWITTER

Slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect essential front line workers. Join me, alongside @AAOHN and @AFCI_Global in supporting our heroes by making homemade face covers and donating them to businesses in your community. https://bit.ly/2V6aotS #facecoversforworkers #thankahero

Click here to download images you can use to promote the campaign.

Help Us Stitch Together Your Stories

Share your stories or tell us how you are helping using #facecoversforworkers on social media or send your story to info@aaohn.org. Use the hashtag to spread awareness for the need for face coverings and ask your friends and colleagues to join the efforts.

Informational Resources

Centers for Disease Control: Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Centers for Disease Control: Guidance on homemade masks
Centers for Disease Control: Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission
Centers for Disease Control: Instructions and Recommendations
Washington Post: What to Use and Questions Answered
Emerging Infectious Diseases provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Simple Respiratory Mask
USA Today: Coronavirus Might Spread Much Farther Than 6 Feet in the Air. CDC Says Wear a Mask in Public
New York Times: What's the Best Material for a Mask

About AAOHN

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) is the professional association of licensed nurses who promote the health and safety of workplaces, their employees and their families.

About AFCI

The Association For Creative Industries (AFCI) is the premier trade association for the global creative arts products industries. AFCI is committed to its vision of a healthy, vibrant and innovative community that enriches people’s lives through crafting and other creative activities. As an organization, AFCI strives to deliver innovative high value services as we support our members who provide products and services to educate, entertain, and inspire creative consumers.