COVID-19 AND IT’S POSITIVE IMPACT ON UNIFORMS USAGE AND ADAPTION

The COVID‑19 pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease. It is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. This outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

The importance of uniforms becomes more relevant during deadly pandemic like COVID-19 which spreads easily. The uniforms if adapted correctly can help prevent the spread of the disease.  ABG Uniforms is one of the best uniform manufacturer and supplier in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq and other Middle East countries.

Uniforms help to maintain discipline and order in an institution. Well designed uniform displays the company’s principles and level of professionalism. It helps customers recognize concerned employees in a crowd. Uniforms represent company’s standards and exemplify its positive image to the public. Besides the above advantages, there are other important benefits of Uniforms in the recent crisis in the name of COVID-19. Let’s look at some of them:

1. Safety and Hygiene

The appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) will protect staff uniform from contamination in most circumstances. Hard hats for construction workers and non-slip shoes for factory workers ensures their safety.

2.Unity

Uniforms build a sense of unity and accountability. This helps employees to feel more calm and self-confident.

3.Cost Regulation

Uniforms reduce employees clothing costs. It helps in lowering their yearly expenditures.

Healthcare workers, especially in primary care units, are at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection than the general masses. There are various ways through which this infection spreads but the main transmission routes are thought to be via droplet spread and fomites from hand to mucous membranes. Protective uniforms help in reducing the spread of droplets or other body fluids to the healthcare worker’s skin and his garments. Exposure simulation studies indicate that gowns may provide more protection to COVID-19 infection as compared to aprons. WHO recommends long-sleeved gowns for both AGPs (Aerosol generating procedures) and non-AGPs. There are recommendations from other sources for Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs) to wear a full-body gown, often with a waterproof apron on top.

What an employee wears while handling ingredients and production processes is of high importance to make sure you have a clean and secure production environment. The use of hygienic uniforms becomes even more important when it comes to food safety. The main purpose of hygienic uniforms is to minimize cross-contamination risks. Unchecked and low standard uniforms and apparels can become a risk to your product through both microbiological contamination and physical contamination. This is the reason it is advised partnering with a uniform supplier that ensures the right steps are being taken to minimize the hazards of improperly cleaned and sanitized uniforms.

Bacteria accumulates in the fabrics that are used for your clothing, bedding, curtains, furniture covers, etc. The sweat generated by our body is generally odourlessbut it starts to smell when bacteria react with our sweat and turn them into more odorful compounds. There is evidence that bacteria growth rates are impacted by the types of fabric used in clothing. ABG Uniforms has come up with an innovative solution. It provides face mask, medical coats and patient gowns which are made from Bamboo Fabric. Bamboo fabrics are antibacterial and so they inhibit the growth of bacteria. Hence the uniforms do not get smelly in situations where you sweat. Bamboo fabrics also act as a sweat absorbent. It makes you feel fresh. ABG Uniforms is specialized in offering an exclusive collection of customized uniforms that are widely used in different domains across various cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Kurdistan.

A study analysed school uniforms and other items before and after washing. This study reveals that the spread of playground infections may happen in the laundry basket. School pants and jumpers are harbouring the highest levels of bacterial contamination and low-temperature washing is not able to kill the germs and bacteria.

Most people think simply putting dirty clothes into a washing machine will kill all bacteria, but that’s not the case. Harmful bacteria and viruses such as Influenza and E.coli can withstand low-temperature washing, hence increasing the potential risk of infection for your family. That is why the uniforms need to be made from high-quality fabrics which can go through daily wear and tear and hot washing if required.

The healthcare department and government bodies all over the world have come up with certain guidelines and uniform adaptation tips because of the recent pandemic COVID-19. Some of them are listed below:

  • Uniforms, aprons and garments should be clean and sanitized at the beginning of each sift and changed whenever necessary.
  • Instead of using handkerchiefs or towels, use disposable tissues to wipe or blow your nose.
  • Always wear disposable gloves.
  • Damaged, frayed or deteriorating uniforms, aprons or garments should be discarded and disposed of.
  • It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that they adhere to the Dress Code for their protection and the protection of others.
  • If you observe non-adherence to the Dress Code, speak directly to the colleague and offer a reminder.
  • Footwear should be clean with non-skid soles. HCPs involved in direct patient care should use footwear of design, construction, and material which is appropriate to the protection required.
  • Identification badges must be worn at all times to maintain both security and professionalism.
  • Hospital supplied scrubs must be returned to laundry services at the end of every work shift. These scrubs should not be worn home, laundered at home or worn into the clinical environment from home.
  • Warm-up jacket/vest is permitted for comfort but must be removed before entering the direct patient care environment where you are within two metres of the space surrounding the patient.
  • Healthcare units should provide changing rooms/areas where staff can change uniforms on arrival/departure from work.
  • Healthcare laundry services should be used to launder all staff uniforms. If there is no laundry facility available, then uniforms should be transported home in a disposable plastic bag. This bag should be disposed of into the household waste stream.

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