The Canadian government issued new recommendations Wednesday on how and when truck drivers and other transportation workers can best utilize personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of getting or transmitting COVID-19.
While not requirements, Transport Canada’s guidelines provide best practices for how drivers and carriers can effectively use PPE as businesses reopen and freight volumes ramp up.
The biggest one: Drivers should wear a mask or face covering whenever they exit their cab and are unable to maintain a distance of at least 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) from another person.
Transport Canada also suggests using nonmedical masks or face coverings for most circumstances. Medical masks should be worn when a person is in proximity to people with COVID-19, or those more susceptible to it such as older people and those with compromised immune systems.
N95 respirator masks should be used under specific occupational health and safety recommendations as protection from airborne particles, according to Transport Canada’s guidelines.
Transport Canada advises wearing gloves when coming into physical contact with another person or items that might be contaminated.
Face shields or goggles, meanwhile, offer an added layer of protection when someone comes into contact with someone without a face mask.
Drivers are also advised to clean the high-touch surfaces of their cabs with a hard-surface disinfectant approved by Health Canada.
Transport Canada noted that the guidelines don’t replace rules from other federal or provincial authorities. In April, the Public Health Agency of Canada issued a directive requiring drivers to wear face masks or coverings while crossing the border from the U.S.
Read Transport Canada’s best practices for the use of PPE in transportation.
