Now in our second national lockdown with a moving target for an end date, many are questioning how they can continue to protect themselves as they attempt to juggle numerous responsibilities as well as find a new ‘normal’.
Companies are eager to sell you a raft of ‘products’ that claim to protect you and your loved ones. As in many things in this modern connected world, there is a lot of misinformation around what does and does not work.
We have seen recent media coverage of PPE purchases, which, once tested have proved to be non-compliant to the relevant standards here in the UK, wasting both time & taxpayers’ money as well as endangering life.
So, to assist you in identifying what is real and will help protect you and your loved ones, here are some of the things you should be looking out for when deciding if a product is right for you and is certified to actually work against Covid-19.
BS EN Certification
When purchasing any product that claims to kill viruses including Covid-19, look for the following BS EN certification;
BS EN 14476
This one standard is key.
For any product claiming to be fully virucidal or acknowledged as capable of inactivating all enveloped (Covid-19 or similar) and non-enveloped viruses, it must have been tested to be effective against the following; adenovirus, norovirus and poliovirus. Surface disinfectants indicated for the medical area (which can be used by non-professionals and provide outstanding protection), must pass stringent testing against those highly resistant non-enveloped viruses.
If you want to be certain the product you are purchasing will protect you against Covid-19, the product must be certified against BS EN 14476.
This should be clearly displayed on any labels and supporting documentation for the product, do not purchase without seeing the certification, make sure it matches the description on the product label.
This is the first gatekeeper in your search in purchasing and using a safe product.
For flexibility and wider applications, look to combine BS EN certifications on the same product. Here are some examples;
BS EN 1276
If you want a product that kills Covid-19 and can be used in food preparation areas, then you need to look for BS EN 1276 in addition to BS EN 14476.
Having both of these certifications alongside each other will give you peace of mind knowing that you are using a very safe product which, can be used almost anywhere including kitchens, food preparation & serving areas.
Used as a surface sanitiser, either via trigger spray (so called ‘spray & wipe’ products) or with a ULV cold fogging machine for larger surface areas including entire rooms, houses, buildings, vehicle/caravan/boat interiors, you can ensure that any surface exposed to Covid-19 will be neutralised removing exposure risk. Don’t forget to follow all instructions regarding re-entry into areas that have been fogged.
In our next blog, we will address the use of BS EN certification applied to hand sanitation products such as alcohol or non-alcoholic hand washes and gels.