Personal protective equipment (PPE) can help laboratory associates stay safe while they’re working with hazardous substances. But this will be all for nothing if they use this equipment incorrectly. Read below about five PPE mistakes you should avoid in your laboratory to ensure you and your employees don’t harm yourselves or others.
If you and your employees work with dangerous materials, you should wear lab coats for protection. But you shouldn’t wear them when you go outside your lab. If you do, you risk exposing other people to contaminants and putting them in danger. Remind your employees to take off their lab coats before they leave for the day or take their breaks.
You and your lab employees must wear gloves when working with certain substances. But after using disposable gloves once, you should not use them again. Instead, remove them and put on new ones. Using them again is another way you could spread dangerous contamination.
Another mistake you should avoid is not knowing the OSHA standards regarding PPE gear. If you don’t become familiar with them before even starting up your lab, you may end up providing your associates with products that won’t protect them properly. Knowing the standards can help you when you’re training your employees on how to use them.
Wearing the proper clothing when you or your lab employees are at work is important. For example, wearing shorts or shoes that expose your legs or feet is a PPE mistake you should avoid in your laboratory. Make sure you and your workers keep these body parts safely covered. You’ll have more protection against caustic solutions that may spill and touch your bare skin.
When the workday ends, you should take off your PPE before going home. Knowing the proper way to do so is essential. Proper removal of PPE will prevent any dangerous substances from touching your skin or clothes. Otherwise, you may hurt yourself or take the contaminants home with you.
Avoiding these errors will ensure you and your employees use PPE correctly and take greater care in your work. That, in turn, will ensure you lower your rate of lab accidents and build a strong reputation as a safe lab.
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