Why a Workplace Barrier Face Covering is a Bad Idea

Editor's Note: This is a commentary on “Barrier Face Coverings for Workers” by Lisa Brosseau and Jeffrey Stull, which appeared in NEW SOLUTIONS 32(3).

It has been proposed that enhanced cloth masks (barrier face coverings (BFCs)) be worn by workers as respiratory protection against airborne SARS-CoV-2. This commentary argues that promoting BFC use is a backward step in protecting workers. BFCs cannot meet NIOSH and OSHA respirator performance standards; superior NIOSH-approved respirators are available, and the proposal undermines the current OSHA requirement that only NIOSH-approved respirators be worn on the job.