Research of the Silesian University of Technology in the bibliography of the WHO document

The publication presenting the project of the students from the Silesian University of Technology was cited in the guidelines of the World Health Organization with recommendations on the use of personal protective equipment. The research was co-financed in the 1st competition for projects of student scientific associations under the "Excellence Initiative - Research University" programme.

The document "Rational use of personal protective equipment for COVID-19 and considerations during severe shortages" is devoted to the problem of rational management of personal protective equipment in the face of the experienced shortages. This is the updated fourth version of the WHO guidelines, published late last year.

The lack of sufficient resources to meet the reported demand is not the only problem associated with this issue. Increased use of masks or gloves can also result in littering in urban areas, and pandemic waste management itself presents challenges for companies.

The members of the LogistiCAD Student Scientific Association under the supervision of Piotr Nowakowski DSc, PhD, Eng. As part of the project entitled "Development of new methods of collection, storage and waste management of personal protective equipment (masks, gloves) during the COVID-19 pandemic", the students conducted research with the participation of local governments, companies operating in this industry and users of such equipment.

As a result, they found that it would be helpful to provide drop-off locations for used masks or gloves or allocation of the chosen colour of rubbish bags for their segregation. The research of SKNL LogistiCAD received funding within the framework of the 1st competition for awarding of funding for projects of student scientific associations under the "Excellence Initiative - Research University" programme.