BROUSSARD, La. (KADN) — SafeSource Direct, an Acadiana manufacturer of Personal Protective Equipment, has received approval from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for its surgical N95 Respirators.

“They’re used in a surgical setting, a clinical setting, where you have issues with toxins and things that can be transmitted like commutable disease,” said Paul Booth, Vice-President of SafeSource Direct. “They’re also used in commercial settings for dust, glass and there’s a lot of industry here that uses them.”

Booth added the federal approval reinforces SafeSource Direct's commitment to ensuring supply chain resilience and providing high-quality, American-made PPE. The company got its start during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand spiked for N95 masks.

“Ochsner as a partner brought us into the forefront of this to try to make sure that we had a supply chain that wouldn’t be interrupted. We can’t afford to be faced with a situation where we can’t get protection for our workers, especially our healthcare workers,” explained Booth.

SafeSource Direct employs 560 people in Acadiana and the company expects to manufacture more than 18 million masks this year, in addition to other forms of PPE. “SafeSource is proud to be a Louisiana-based company. And it’s been great to grow this company over the past three years,” added Booth.

- N95 respirator mask approval on the NIOSH website.

- Partner Oschsner Health.