* Spanish INSST and the PPE crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic caused by the global virus SARS-CoV-2 spread, the need to limit its propagation and protect healthcare workers provoked in 2020 a crisis due to shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). The Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), through its Centro Nacional de Medios de Protección (CNMP), equipped with personnel and laboratories specialized on PPE, had a crucial role in the actions taken by different national and local departments that were dealing with an   unusual,  unknown and serious situation. In this article the causes and circumstances motivating the PPE crisis will be presented together with the actions taken by different stakeholders that required the support and specialized technical assistance from CNMP-INSST during 2020.