CGA Facilitates Supply of Cloth Face Masks for Member Employees
Posted: April 22, 2020
Updated: May 5, 2020
This survey is now closed. FEMA has advised that future requests for cloth face coverings must be submitted through individual state offices. At this time, details on each state’s ordering process are not available. We’ll provide any information when/if there is another opportunity.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has identified a manufacturer to mass produce and distribute cloth face masks to critical employers over the next several weeks. The cloth masks are not considered essential PPE. These are not flame-retardant masks. They are an anti-microbial t-shirt type material, good for 15 washes, packed 5 masks per package with 100 packages per box (500 total masks per box). These masks are intended to satisfy CDC recommendations to wear cloth masks in places where social distancing is difficult to maintain and could also be used in response to local orders to wear cloth masks.
The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) is a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). CSCC is made up of 15 industry association members, including the American Chemistry Council and the Chlorine Institute.
FEMA has identified the chemical sector as one of eight critical sectors (out of sixteen total) to receive priority access to the masks. By virtue of CGA’s membership in the CSCC, CGA member companies have access to these face masks.
DHS has requested that each company provide contact information for shipment and the number of U.S.-based employees requiring a cloth face mask to work safely based on current CDC recommendations. No payment will be required for these masks. On Friday, April 17, CGA began polling our member companies, collecting single shipping location and number of employees for each responding company and has submitted that information to CSCC, which is placing orders with FEMA.
To date, masks have been requested for over 25,000 employees.
FEMA will distribute the cloth masks directly from the manufacturer to the point of contact and single address provided for each company that responded to CGA’s poll. Each company will be responsible for allocating and shipping masks among their U.S.-based facilities.
CSCC does not know the timing of the mask shipments but will keep its members updated. CGA will notify our members as we receive additional information.
