Face masks are one of the best weapons in the daily fight against COVID-19, which is why BBF Safety Group is donating 400,000 Nikki reusable filtered masks to the value of R7,44 million to those who need them most
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 26 August 2020 – As the economy began to open up after the hard lockdown experienced in April and May, companies were faced with a new challenge – keeping their employees safe. In order to ensure that operations continued at as full capacity as possible to mitigate job losses, health and safety quickly became the focus.
Mere months ago, South Africans had no idea that personal protection equipment (PPE) would be essential to daily life. Now, the issue of which mask to use has become one of the most pressing daily decisions for most people.
In May 2020, with the support of their SMME network and the pressure the world faced with trying to curb the spread of the virus, BBF Safety Group developed a locally manufactured, reusable, filtered mask for general use that was in compliance with WHO recommendations.
Silvio Ceriani – Group CEO, BBF Safety Group, says, “We know that PPE budgets are tight right now, but it’s imperative that employees feel safe to return to work because it’s the only way we’ll be able to keep the economy going. This is why we made a decision to donate 400,000 Nikki reusable filtered masks, along with an extra Beier Respiratex filter, for distribution with our fastest-moving lines of BOVA, Lemaitre and Frams safety footwear.”
The masks will be distributed for free by placing them in our most popular styles; BOVA Multi, BOVA Adapt, BOVA Radical, BOVA Maverick, Lemaitre Maxeco, Lemaitre Robust, and the newly launched Frams Econo-tough boot.
Peter Gerbrands, Group Marketing Manager, BBF Safety Group, says, “By distributing the 400,000 free masks inside our fastest moving lines of footwear, we can ensure that the men and women who are vital to keeping the economy going will be given the protection they need, quickly.”
“We are all in this together and as a company that specialises in Personal Protective Equipment, we feel it necessary to play our role curbing the spread. This is about more than just getting a product out there, it’s about protecting people and keeping industry going so that we as a country can protect each other and our economy ,” adds Silvio Ceriani.
ABOUT BBF SAFETY GROUP
BBF Safety Group is an integrated workplace safety solutions provider that helps customers create safe working environments. In 2014, four of South Africa’s largest safety footwear manufacturers joined forces to create BBF Safety Group (Pty) Ltd. The merger created the largest safety footwear manufacturer in Africa with more than 250 years of combined experience, producing over 4.5million pairs of footwear and gumboots per annum. In 2017, BBF Safety Group transitioned from being a leading safety footwear manufacturer to an integrated workplace safety solutions provider. Today, we offer a full portfolio of head-to-toe personal protective equipment (PPE) and professional occupational health and safety (OHS) services that range from auditing and consulting to training and certification.
We are a trusted partner to thousands of businesses across a diverse range of industries, helping to keep millions of people safe at work every day. We are a proudly South African business, employing more than 1,200 people at four ISO:9001 accredited manufacturing facilities across the country.