Ryan Kupperman

With a value of approximately US$84.5 billion in 2024, the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market is expected to grow another $43.6 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research estimates CMM previously reported in June. Increased demand for PPE is largely being driven by growing worker safety awareness, as well as a surge in demand in the healthcare, military, and law enforcement sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly for equipment such as masks, gloves, and gowns. Mark Warner, national sales manager at The Bullen Cos., has been in the professional cleaning industry for roughly 40 years and said people’s increased level of awareness for safety is the biggest factor in the PPE industry today. “People have become much more attuned to the fact that they really shouldn’t go to work if they’re sick, and if they are not feeling well, maybe they should wear a mask to not get their coworkers sick. None of that was a mainstream concept prior to 2020,” Warner said. “That whole level of awareness has amped up tenfold, maybe a hundredfold, from what it was in 2019 and before.” The role of education Safety starts with worker education on cleaning and maintenance procedures as well as the proper use of chemicals and PPE. “Without having that [education] habit up front, you find yourself explaining why somebody got injured after the fact,” Warner said. “And that’s not a good situation for anyone.” Wearing PPE is just part of the equation. “Make sure that workers have had training on how to put [PPE] on and how to take it off,” Warner said. “One of the worst things that can happen is somebody is wearing the right gear, but they’re wearing it incorrectly. The result of wearing it incorrectly: they aren’t actually protecting themselves.” Warner’s advice is particularly relevant in wearing equipment such as masks and respirators. This type of equipment should go through a fit test process, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to ensure there are no breaches that unfiltered air can pass through. “All of these [protection considerations] are really relevant to employers, because all of them have a potential liability if something happens to a frontline worker,” Warner said. Not only can training help keep workers safe, David Swindle II, True Cleaning Solutions founder and CEO, emphasized that it can help businesses stay up-to-date on safety protocols. “They need to know to train their employees from the get-go on being able to use PPE,” Swindle said. “That is a great opportunity for them to work with their local suppliers. Our industry is very well educated.” Swindle added that several new tools have become available, so attending tradeshows, and working with manufacturer and distributor representatives can provide the latest information on PPE. Safety do’s and don’ts With nearly 40 years of cleaning experience, Swindle believes one of the most significant traits of a professional is awareness. “One of the biggest do’s is to be aware,” he said. “[Cleaning professionals] should be looking at safety data sheets and product labels for recommendations of what PPE is going to be needed for the jobs they’re doing.” Likewise, one of the best ways to prepare for danger is conducting a risk assessment before each job. “A risk assessment is going to help to identify where we can eliminate potential risks, even before getting to that PPE,” Swindle said. “If we can’t eliminate it, then [we can] reduce the possible risk. PPE is our last line of defense, so it’s really important that, in doing this process, we look for ways that we can eliminate potential hazards for the employees, our frontline workers, and keep them safe.” The previous advice leads to some of the greatest don’ts in the industry today. “One of the biggest mistakes is employers not doing risk assessments,” Swindle said. “When they fail to do that, they’re not aware necessarily of what they need. Along those lines, [they are] making assumptions that they have what they need.” For example, chemical dispensing systems often contain very concentrated chemicals. If employees don’t have the appropriate PPE, such as face goggles or shields and gloves, these concentrated chemicals can easily harm them, Swindle explained. Further, managers shouldn’t assume that employees will know the proper protective equipment to use or that the client will provide appropriate PPE. Swindle advised that the employer is responsible for providing appropriate PPE for each work task. Moreover, Warner emphasized the importance of properly donning and doffing PPE—one of the most overlooked practices for professional cleaners—particularly with gloves. When a glove may be contaminated by a toxin, caustic material, or pathogen, cleaners should not stick their fingers down inside the glove’s cuff and peel it back the way one might take off a pair of latex gloves after washing dishes. Instead, using a gloved hand, professionals should pinch the glove on their other hand in the palm and gently pull it off, turning it inside out as they draw it down their hand. Then they can place a piece of the removed glove (which is now inside out) over the palm of the other glove, using it as a barrier as they pinch that palm, turning the second glove inside out as they remove it. This removal method ensures that anything that may have been on the outside of the gloves is now on the inside, so they can handle the used gloves with bare hands without any possibility of danger or harm. Workers also need to handle other forms of PPE—such as masks, face protection, and eyewear—in a proper manner that prevents contamination. For example, on masks, the elastic bands that go behind the wearer’s ears are the least likely area to become contaminated. “Don’t [handle] it wrong, because these are things related to health or damage to your health,” Warner said. “Do training on how to don and doff PPEs. Don’t let people figure that one out the hard way.” Protection from head to

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Ryan Kupperman

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