This archive report was first published on 7 May 2020.
On May 7, 2020, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) unveiled three new standards to guide local manufacturers in making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The standards, approved by the National Standards Council (NSC), include a Publicly Available Specification on Critical Care Ventilators, a standard on reusable cloth masks, and a standard on protective clothing.
According to Lt. Col. (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director of KEBS, the Publicly Available Specification for Critical Care Ventilators sets out the minimum requirements for a clinically acceptable ventilator to be used in healthcare premises during the pandemic.
So far, six local manufacturers, universities, and technical institutions have developed prototype ventilators, including Kenyatta University, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, and TotoSci Ltd.
The new standards will guide the initial user evaluation of prototypes, their refinement, and further development before final certification for mass production and consumer use.
KEBS has also developed a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) on Reusable Cloth Masks that will guide their design, manufacture, and performance evaluation, with a key requirement of having two layers of fabric.
Additionally, a standard specifying the general requirements for Protective clothing used by health workers dealing with COVID-19 patients has been approved.
KEBS has been guiding local manufacturers through sessions on applicable standards for PPEs and has ramped up market surveillance activities to ensure consumers get certified masks, sanitizers, and other products.
