Masks: buying guides & advice

How to Choose Medical Masks

Medical masks for infection control span three distinct product categories: procedure masks (Class I), surgical masks (Class II, 21 CFR 878.4040), and N95/Surgical N95 filtering facepiece respirators (Class II, product code MSH, NIOSH-certified under 42 CFR Part 84). Hospital infection preventionists, OR managers, and ASC administrators drive the bulk of procurement—typically on annual GPO contracts—to stock ORs, procedural suites, general patient care areas, and isolation rooms. Procurement decisions are protocol-driven, triggered by OSHA respiratory protection programs (29 CFR 1910.134), Joint Commission infection prevention mandates, and procedure-specific risk assessments aligned to ASTM F2100 performance levels.