Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
What is PPE?
PPE is safety jargon for safety equipment you wear. It stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE can include gloves, safety glasses, lab coats etc.
The standard expected in this School is that described in the Handbook on the Regulation of Gene Technology in Australia, Australian Standard 2243.3, University policy and this document.
In the School's policies and procedures for dealing with hazardous substances, PPE is the last resort system for controlling risk. It presumes things can go wrong that would cause material to impact on the person and a physical barrier is needed. As a LAST resort it is imperative that the correct PPE is used and used correctly.
PPE is NOT an excuse for poor laboratory procedure; wearing it does not mean that spills and splashes are acceptable.
All lab procedures should be designed to be done without PPE; then PPE is worn to deal with unexpected incidents.
Risk Assessment
The School expects that lab workers, with the assistance of their supervisors, will assess all procedures for hazard level and place appropriate controls, including PPE, in place. This PPE may include lab coats, gloves, eye protection, ear protection and shoes.
Tables have been developed to assist you in making sure appropriate PPE for the task is used.
- Glove Selection Table - advice on what gloves are appropriate when using different substances.
- and PPE selection.
Those labs dealing with GMOs will be operating at PC1 or PC2 level. These regulations require that certain types of PPE be used. The Department has manuals for PC1 and PC2 (see Support Web Page Safety,Biosafety).
Lab coats/gowns - can be obtained from the store; note that green is reserved for PC2 areas.
Coats/gowns should be laundered at the very least once per month.
Eye protection – Safety spectacles are also in the store. Every effort must be made to avoid eye injury and we would prefer every lab worker to have his or her own pair of safety spectacles. Safety spectacles should be worn whenever there is any possibility of anything striking the eye; most lab work fits this description.
When working with any liquid in any procedure apply the test:
Am I prepared to have this liquid in my eyes? If the answer is no, and it will be no in 99.9% of cases, then eye protection must be worn.
Safety spectacles are (or should be) UV opaque. Those that feel they need full-face protection, for any procedure, should see the School Health & Safety Officer.
Other School Guidelines and Procedures
It is mandatory in laboratories that display lab coat & eye protection signage, to wear your glasses and a lab coat at all times.
The School has Guidelines that demonstrate this requirement. The documents can be downloaded below:
Guidelines for Safety Glasses & Lab Coats
Guidelines for Prescription Safety Glasses
Contact Lenses: If any object/substance does enter the eye contact lenses have the potential to cause and/or increase injury. In the lab contact lenses should only be worn if it is essential. Those wearing contact lenses should wear safety glasses whenever they are in the lab.
Types of Personal Protective Equipment
Shoes – The upper surface of the feet are, if not protected, at great risk; all laboratory safety standards demand closed shoes. In the hotter periods of the years open shoes are very comfortable, but not acceptable in the lab.
Gloves – Be sure to pick the correct glove material for the substances being used (see selection cart below). Re-glove regularly if there is any chance of penetration of the glove; this is very likely as all materials are penetrated by chemicals to some degree. Watch for any skin or breathing problems that may be caused by the gloves. Please do not use gloves to protect yourself and then contaminate door handles, bottles, benches etc by not removing the gloves when you handle these items.
PPE Selection for Lab workers
| Task | Potential Hazard | Recommended PPE |
|---|---|---|
| Working with small volumes of corrosive liquids (< 1 litre). | Skin or eye damage | Safety glasses or goggles Chemically resistant gloves Lab coat, closed shoes, pants |
| Working with large volumes of corrosive liquids (> 1 litre), acutely toxic corrosives, or work which creates a splash hazard | Large surface area skin or eye damage, poisoning, or great potential for eye and skin damage | Safety goggles and face shield Chemically resistant gloves Lab coat, closed shoes, pants |
| Working with small volumes of organic solvents (< 1 litre). | Skin or eye damage Slight poisoning potential through skin contact |
Safety glasses or goggles Light chemically resistant gloves Lab coat, closed shoes, pants |
| Working with large volumes of organic solvents (> 1 litre), very dangerous solvents, or work which creates a splash hazard | Major skin or eye damage, or potential poisoning through skin contact | Safety goggles and face shield Chemically resistant gloves Lab coat, closed shoes, pants |
| Working with toxic or hazardous chemicals (solid or liquid). | Potential skin or eye damage, potential poisoning through skin contact. | Safety glasses (goggles for large quantities), Chemically resistant gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with acutely toxic or hazardous chemicals (solid or liquid). | Great potential skin or eye damage, great potential poisoning through skin contact. | Safety glasses, appropriate chemically resistant gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants |
| Working with chemical dusts. | Skin or eye damage, respiratory damage. | Safety glasses or goggles, appropriate gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants, Fume hood or appropriate respiratory protection. |
| Chemical spill cleanup. | Skin or eye damage, respiratory damage. |
Safety glasses or goggles, appropriate gloves, lab coat, closed shoes or boots if necessary, pants, appropriate respiratory protection. |
| Working with solid radioactive materials or waste. | Potential cell damage, potential spread of radioactive materials. | Safety glasses, gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with radioactive chemicals (corrosives, flammables, liquids, powders, etc.). | Potential cell damage or spread of contamination plus hazards for the appropriate chemical hazards above. | Safety glasses (or goggles for splash hazard), light chemically resistant gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. (Use PPE for applicable chemical hazards above). |
| Working with ultraviolet radiation. | Conjunctivitis, corneal damage, erythema. |
UV face shield and goggles, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with radioactive human blood, body fluids, or blood borne pathogens (BBP). | Potential cell damage, potential spread of radioactive contaminants, or potential BBP exposure. | Safety glasses (goggles for splash hazard), latex gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with small volumes of human blood, body fluids, tissues, or blood borne pathogens. | Potential contraction of infectious disease, potential spread of infectious disease. | Safety glasses, latex gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with large volumes of human blood, body fluids, tissues, or blood borne pathogens. | Increased potential for contraction of infectious disease or increased potential for spread of infectious disease. | Safety goggles with face shield, latex gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. Coveralls and boot covers if necessary. |
| Working with live or poisonous animals and plants. | Animal bites, stings, or infectious disease. Skin or eye damage from contact with animal or plant poisons. |
Safety glasses or goggles, protective gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with animal specimens (preserved or unpreserved). | Potential exposure to infectious disease, animal toxins, or preservatives. | Safety glasses or goggles, protective gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with cryogenic liquids. | Major skin, tissue, or eye damage. | Safety glasses or face-shield for large volumes, heavy insulated gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with very cold equipment, dry ice or in a low temperature room. | Frostbite, hypothermia. | Safety glasses, insulated gloves and warm clothing, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with hot liquids, equipment, open flames (autoclave, bunsen burner, water bath, oil bath). | Burns resulting in skin or eye damage. | Safety glasses or goggles for large volumes, insulated gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Instrument repair. | Eye damage from foreign objects. | Safety glasses, no loose clothing or jewelry. |
| Working in nuisance dusts. | Skin or eye damage, respiratory damage. | Safety goggles, appropriate gloves, lab coat, closed shoes or boots if necessary, pants, approved dust mask or other appropriate respiratory protection. |
| Glassware washing. | Lacerations, eye damage | Safety glasses Heavy rubber gloves, lab coat, closed shoes, pants. |
| Working with loud equipment, noises, sounds, or alarms, etc. | Potential ear damage and hearing loss. | Ear plugs or headphones as necessary. |
Note: Most skirts/shorts, obviously, expose part of the leg and this must be taken into account, when assessing the level of PPE needed for any particular procedure. The table above takes a conservative "fail safe" view of this matter; your assessment may show a skirt to be acceptable in some procedures.
