Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 08:40:14 -0500
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: 4 more re: Removing PPE When Leaving Chem Labs
From: "heinz and inge trebitz"
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Removing PPE When Leaving Chem Labs
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:09:24 -0500
In answer to Larry McLouth' policy question, I'd like to offer a few
thoughts:
The activities to be covered are manifold and reach into different
working/living environments. Writing a fit-all policy may be very
difficult. Enforcing a policy which may reach into the home of a lab
worker (i.e. to cover laundering the PPE at home) may be altogether
impossible. Unless an instituition takes over the cleaning of used
PPE, work related hygiene is out of the institution's control. At
best, good work place practice recommendations can address common PPE
issues.
Below is a (incomplete) list of factors to be considered when making
decisions, offering advice or writing policies:
1. What kind of lab activities, what chemicals/agents involved
2. Duration of lab work
3. Whom do you want to protect: students, professionals, janitors,
maintenance workers?
4. Whose PPE is involved: employer provided, employee owned?
5. When is a lab coat deemed due for cleaning?
6. How about one time splashes requiring immediate cleaning?
I consider a strict separation of soiled/ready for cleaning/laundering
PPE from personal clothes an absolute must.
Industry routinely uses clean/dirty systems of lockers/washrooms. If
PPE is allowed to be taken home for cleaning it must be laundered
separate from any personal clothing.
Lab hygiene must be part of periodical lab safety training.
Heinz H. Trebitz, Ph.D.
GBK/TRE SERVICE
480 Colby Road N
Thetford Center, VT 05075
Tel: 802-785-2129
Fax: 802-785-2124
e-mail: iht63**At_Symbol_Here**valley.net
==
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] 5 RE: [DCHAS-L] Removing PPE When Leaving Chem
Labs
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:13:59 -0500
From: "Rigel Lustwerk"
As a consultant, I've noticed that there are three kinds of companies
when it comes to PPE. 1) Those that actually follow the guidelines
as to where PPE should be worn and where it should not; 2) those
where I can't get people to put on their lab coats; 3) those where I
can't get them out of their lab coats!
If there is good infrastructure as far as coat hooks, personalized
lab coats, easily accessible areas for changing, easily accessible
hazardous waste containers for contaminated gloves etc., compliance
is generally MUCH easier to achieve. Other facilities related issues
include labs that are too hot, office areas that are too cold, which
tempt people to not wear the coats in the lab or to wear them in the
office.
With regard to coat hooks/coat racks, it is very important to have
enough coat hooks to avoid hanging 2 coats on one hook, which means
that the inside of one (which one wants to keep clean) is in direct
contact with the outside of the other (which is likely contaminated),
and enough space between them so that there isn't cross
contamination. Having the hooks personalized helps, so people don't
have to take the time or touch the outside of every coat on the rack
to find their own
Rigel Lustwerk
Safety Consultant
Safety Partners, Inc.
Hands-On Workplace Safety
==
From: lucydillman**At_Symbol_Here**comcast.net
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 5 RE: [DCHAS-L] Removing PPE When Leaving Chem
Labs
Hmm, I always have more problems convincing people to put their PPE on.
My facility is very small, and it is stressed in training that we
change our gloves often, wash our hands often, take off your PPE in
the gowning area , and wash your hands before you leave the lab.
Senior lab personnel are very good about this, and new people follow
their lead. In almost 4 years here, I only remember seeing someone
bolt out of the lab with his/ her lab coat on twice, and one of those
only got about one step out the doo r before remembering to go back
and take off her coat.
Lucy Dillman
==
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 22:21:20 -0500
From: pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**ROCHESTER.RR.COM
>Our parent company has had
> tremendous success in promoting the removal of PPE, and has
> said that it is just a matter of changing the culture
Changing the culture is what is required, but doing that is rarely
easy and ALWAYS requires sustained, high-level support. Sounds like
you are on the right track.
Did your parent company representatives actually say "just a matter of
changing the culture" or did you read the "just" into it on the basis
of your reading their "body language?"
Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY
PZAVON**At_Symbol_Here**Rochester.rr.com
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post