Toronto, Ontario — Since the onset of the pandemic healthcare workers have struggled with shortages of personal protective equipment, and now the automotive industry has run into the same problem.
According to a survey conducted by Collision Repair Magazine, 50 percent of shops said they were struggling due to a lack of PPE resulting in minor business disruptions, 33.3 percent of shops were reusing some types of PPE but were able to operate as normal and 16.6 percent of shops had no problem finding PPE.
Currently, almost all N-95 respirators and PPE are headed to frontline healthcare works, which means there isn’t much left for shops. Many products used by technicians require PPE to keep them safe from harmful chemicals.
Many shops have reverted to using fabric and dust masks to protect themselves—similar to those used by the general public. Additionally, several shops have had to replace certain products that could be harmful to eliminate the risk.
