The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has issued new standards for Facemasks and is calling upon facemask manufacturers to seek certification of their products to ensure that they meet the National quality standards.
UNBS approved three (3) facemask standards (specifications) and five (5) test methods for use, most especially now when the country is battling COVID-19.
The three standards (specifications) approved include;
- Respiratory protective devices – filtering half masks to protect against particles – requirements, testing and marking.
- Medical face masks – requirements and test methods
- Non- medical masks- specification
The 5 ISO test methods were adopted to support the quality assurance of the standards.
Two (2) facemask standards; Respiratory protective devices and Medical facemasks are mandatory and can be accessed via https://webstore.unbs.go.ug
The Non-medical mask standards (voluntary), will be given out by UNBS at NO FEE for now, to allow for homemade non-medical masks to be used, in parallel to the medical masks.
Manufacturers who are also interested in making non-medical masks are advised to seek certification using this voluntary standard.
According to the UNBS Senior communication officer, Ms Barbara Kamusiime, “To get free copies of the homemade facemask standards, please send an email to george.opiyo@unbs.go.ug or maurice.musuga@unbs.go.ug”.
It should be noted that the frequent use of masks and sanitizers is one of the measures put forward by government to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Standards body urges the public to follow guidelines set by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the President of Uganda as we continue to fight COVID-19 together.
About UNBS
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a statutory body responsible for developing, promoting and enforcing standards in protection of public health and safety, and the environment against dangerous and sub-standard products.
