NIOSH approves OR's N95 flat fold respirator mask

15 Aug '20

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

Outdoor Research, a leading brand in the tactical and outdoor apparel industries, has got approval from the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) for US-Made N95 flat fold respirator mask. Outdoor Research recognised the need for US manufacturing of PPE to help address the national shortage in the medical and defence communities.

Because the company already had significant onshore manufacturing operations in Seattle and Los Angeles, it was able to quickly adapt to address this shortage.

Following conversions at its manufacturing facilities, Outdoor Research began producing the 100 per cent American-made, Berry Amendment-compliant Resolute Face Mask and regulated Surgical and N95 respirator masks. It is also producing reusable, technical and functional face masks for the general public featuring integrated filters. Outdoor Research has already produced over 2.5 million masks.

Approval from NIOSH for the N95 respirator mask is a significant accomplishment. Outdoor Research is one of only nine organisations to achieve expedited certification. While many companies have entered the mask market temporarily by creating “face coverings” for general public use, Outdoor Research has made a strategic commitment to expanding the company’s manufacturing capabilities to build advanced medical-devices, providing PPE to frontline healthcare workers during and after this current crisis.

“This pivot to medical PPE has required extreme dedication by an innovation team that was truly ‘purpose driven’ to help the end user,” said Jason Duncan, head of Tactical, Innovation and CSR at Outdoor Research. “There was not a deep analysis of the business case but rather an answer to the question: what can our team do Right Now to help? You can’t motivate people to work this hard for this long without a purpose-driven goal. The NIOSH regulatory approval represents a success for a weary team that has been as obsessed with employee safety as they have with creating medical PPE. “

Outdoor Research has a history of successfully leveraging the best commercial market technologies to serve the needs of the armed services and first responders. Over the past two years the company has conducted a comprehensive review of the US supply chain and is in active development with textile mills and materials providers to expand and elevate the capabilities of products that are 100-per cent American-made.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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