How to Use Personal Protective Equipments??

 

Hazards exist in every workplace in many different forms: sharp edges, falling objects, flying sparks, chemicals, noise and a myriad of other potentially dangerous situations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers protect their employees from workplace hazards that can cause injury. Controlling a hazard at its source is the best way to protect employees. Depending on the hazard or workplace conditions, OSHA recommends the use of engineering or work practice controls to manage or eliminate hazards to the greatest extent possible. For example, building a barrier between the hazard and employees is an engineering control; changing the way in which employees perform their work, (e.g., through job rotations) is an administrative control.

When engineering, work practice, and administrative controls are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to their employees and ensure its use. Personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as “PPE”, is equipment worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards. Examples of PPE include such items as gloves, foot and eye protection, protective hearing devices (earplugs, muffs) hard hats, respirators and full body suits.

This guide will help both employers and employees do the following:

■ Understand the types of PPE.

■ Know the basics of conducting a “hazard assessment” of the workplace.

■ Select appropriate PPE for a variety of circumstances.

■ Understand what kind of training is needed in the proper use and care of PPE.

In general, employees should:

■ Properly wear PPE, ■ Attend training sessions on PPE, ■ Care for, clean and maintain PPE, and ■ Inform a supervisor of the need to repair or replace PPE. Specific requirements for PPE are presented in many different.

Hazard Assessment

A first critical step in protecting employees is to use a “hazard assessment to identify physical and health hazards in the workplace. Below are some points to consider when doing the hazard analysis:

• Identify all hazards that may require protection. This should include a list of the chemicals, biological, and radioactive materials involved along with all other potential physical hazards such as abrasion, tearing, puncture, and temperature (cryogenic), light (lasers, welding), noise, and vibration.

• Nature of potential contact. Will the contact be splash, occasional or continuous immersion? Other types of contact or exposure potential include spray (pressurized or non-pressurized), mist (continuous or intermittent), vapors (gaseous contact) and dust.

• Contact location is very important. Which part of the body is most likely to get exposed to the hazards? Consider protection to the eyes, face, skin, nose, mouth, body and feet.

• Consider the type of engineering controls available in the lab (e.g.: fume hood, glove box)?

• Review SOP, SDS and other hazard information to determine appropriate PPE to wear based on chemical hazards encountered.

Personal Protective Equipment

PPE is defined as a device or clothing worn by a worker to help prevent direct exposure to hazards and protect workers from bodily injury. The need for PPE is dependent upon the type of operations and the nature and quantity of the materials in use, and must be assessed on a case by case basis. PPE is the least preferred method of protection, and to be used when substitution or engineering controls and work practice controls are not feasible. It should be understood that PPE does not reduce or eliminate the hazard. Every user of the PPE must understand that the PPE will provide protection only to the wearer and does nothing to anyone else in the lab. The level of protection chosen shall take into account any hazards from other work being carried out in the vicinity that could affect the worker.

Mandatory Minimum PPE Requirement

§ Protective eye wear § Lab coat § Closed-toed shoes § Chemical resistant gloves (when working with hazardous substances). The use of respiratory protection must be cleared through the OEHS.

Trainings

Training Laboratory personnel must be trained in the selection, proper use, limitations, care, and maintenance of PPE. Training requirements can be met in a variety of ways including videos, group training sessions, and handouts. Periodic retraining should be offered to both the users and supervisors as appropriate.

Eye Protection

Eye protection is required (but not limited to):

• When chemicals, glassware, or a heating source is being used

• When dust or fumes are present

• When using preserved specimen

• When working with solid materials or equipment under stress, pressure, or force that might cause fragmentation or flying particles

 • When an activity generates projectiles, or uses elastic materials under stress (e.g., springs, wires, rubber, glass), or causes collisions.

There are three basic types of eye and face protection which will meet the majority of University laboratory requirements. These are: safety glasses (with side shields), goggles, and face shields.

Safety glasses: must have side shields and must be worn whenever there is a possibility of objects striking the eye, such as particles, glass, or metal shards. Many potential eye injuries have been avoided at the University by wearing safety glasses. Safety glasses may not always provide adequate protection from chemical splashes as they do not seal to the face. Safety glasses may be adequate where the potential splash is minimal. Ordinary prescription glasses do not provide adequate protection from injury to the eyes and could even be hazardous to the wearer.

Goggles: Chemical splash goggles should be worn when there is a high potential for splash from a hazardous material. For example, goggles should be worn when working with glassware under reduced or elevated pressure and when glass apparatus is used in combustion or other high temperature operations. Chemical splash goggles shall have indirect ventilation so hazardous substances cannot drain into the eye area. Some can be worn over prescription glasses.

Face shields: are in order when working with large volumes of hazardous materials, either for protection from splash to the face or flying particles. Face shields must be used in conjunction with safety glasses or goggles. The following examples where a face shield should be used: 1) where glass apparatus is evacuated, recharged with gas, or pressurized; 2) when pouring corrosive liquids; 3) when using cryogenic fluids; 4) when combustion processes are being carried out; 5) where there is a risk of explosion or implosion; 6) when using chemicals that can cause direct damage to the skin; and 7) when using chemicals and biological agents that can be rapidly absorbed into the body via any path e.g. through the skin, eyes or nose.

Respiratory Protection:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have strict requirements for respirator (e.g., full-face mask or N-95 filter mask) use. Even a simple paper filter mask is subject to OSHA rules. These requirements include a medical questionnaire and a respirator fit test for all users. This is necessary because wearing a respirator increases the work of breathing, which may cause health problems for some people. To avoid these problems, it is best to prevent inhalation exposures by using engineering controls, (e.g., increased room ventilation, fume hoods and gloveboxes) rather than respirators. If you must wear respirators, contact the Occupational Health Office of Safety.

Lab Coats: 

• Provide protection of skin and personal clothing from incidental contact

• Prevent the spread of contamination outside the lab (provided they are not worn outside the lab)

• Provide a removable barrier in the event of an incident involving a spill or splash of hazardous substances Selection of Lab coats: Lab coats are available in a variety of materials and provide varying degrees of protection. Examples include: splash resistant coats, static free coats, chemical resistant coats, and flame resistant coats. Please make sure that the coat you are selecting provides the type of protection that is appropriate for your needs.

The first step in this selection process is to determine the types of hazards that exist in your lab and the reasons for the lab coats.

Select lab coat/apron using the following recommendations:

• Length - At least knee length or longer is recommended for most effective coverage.

• Wristband - It is recommended that a lab coat with a fitted wristband/cuff be used to reduce the potential for splashes up the arm and fire hazards.

• Top button - It is best to use a lab coat that provides for a high top button at the neck to provide most effective protection.

• Fire resistant - Use only those constructed of a flame resistant material. Disposable outer garments (i.e., Tyvek suits) may be useful when cleaning and decontamination of reusable clothing is difficult. Lab coats are required:

• Lab coats are required in all undergraduate labs where chemicals, biologicals, or radiologicals are used including labs for Chemistry, Biology, Material Science Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Biomedical Engineering.

• Lab coats made of polyester-cotton blends (no less than 35% cotton) are acceptable in labs where no open flames are present.

• Lab coats must be made of 100% cotton or flame resistant material in labs where open flames are used (such as alcohol burners).

• Labs that store large quantities (>10gallons) of flammable liquids outside a flammable storage cabinet must use lab coats made of 100% Cotton treated with flame retardant material.

 

Hand Protection

Gloves: Protective gloves should be worn when handling hazardous materials, chemicals of unknown toxicity, corrosive materials, rough or sharp-edged objects, and very hot or very cold materials. When handling chemicals in a laboratory, disposable latex, vinyl or nitrile examination gloves are usually appropriate for most circumstances. These gloves will offer protection from incidental splashes or contact. When working with chemicals with high acute toxicity, working with corrosives in high concentrations, handling chemicals for extended periods of time, or immersing all or part of a hand into a chemical, the appropriate glove material should be selected, based on chemical compatibility. Never reuse disposable glove. When selecting the appropriate glove, considered the following:

• Degradation Rating • Breakthrough Time • Permeation Rate • SDS Recommendation Degradation is the change in one or more of the physical properties of a glove caused by contact with a chemical.

Degradation: typically appears as hardening, stiffening, swelling, shrinking or cracking of the glove. Degradation ratings indicate how well a glove will hold up when exposed to a chemical. When looking at a Chemical Compatibility Chart, degradation is usually reported as E (excellent), G (good), F (fair), P (poor), NR (not recommended) or NT (not tested).

Breakthrough: Time is the elapsed time between the initial contact of the test chemical on the surface of the glove and the analytical detection of the chemical on the inside of the glove.

Permeation Rate: is the rate at which the test chemical passes through the glove material once breakthrough has occurred and equilibrium is reached. Permeation involves absorption of the chemical on the surface of the glove, diffusion through the glove, and desorption of the chemical on the inside of the glove. Resistance to permeation rate is usually reported as E (excellent), G (good), F (fair), P (poor), NR (not recommended). If chemical breakthrough does not occur, then permeation rate is not measured and is reported or ND (none detected).

For mixtures, it is recommended that the glove material be selected based on the shortest breakthrough time. The following table includes major glove types and their general uses.

Proper Glove Removal:

Gloves should be removed avoiding skin contact with the exterior of the glove and possible contamination. Disposable gloves should be removed as follows:

• Grasp the exterior of one glove with your other gloved hand.

• Carefully pull the glove off your hand, turning it inside-out. The contamination is now on the inside.

• Ball the glove up and hold in your other gloved hand.

• Slide your ungloved finger into the opening of the other glove. Avoid touching the exterior.

• Carefully pull the glove off your hand, turning it inside out again. All contamination is contained.

• Discard appropriately. Keep PPE inside the lab All protective wear used in a lab should be kept in the work area to minimize the possibility of spreading chemicals to public places including eating or office areas. Do not use PPE outside the room even when transporting chemicals, radioactive materials or biological hazards. The recommended method of transporting hazardous material within lab buildings is to utilize secondary containment. Secondary containment must be plastic, securely sealed, Tupperwaretype containers. This method allows your hands to be free from exposure to any hazardous material, thus eliminating your need to wear gloves or lab coat. Maintenance, Testing and Replacement • Always inspect PPE for damage (tears, holes, worn elastic, etc.) and contamination prior to use. • All PPE must be: checked for defects on a regular basis, eg. perished tubing, holes in gloves, etc. • If an item cannot be properly cleaned or becomes damaged it should be discarded. When in doubt, throw it out. • Reusable PPE should be immediately cleaned after each use with the appropriate cleanser (usually soap and water). • Disposable items should only be used once and replaced when contaminated. • Always assume PPE is contaminated: it is worn to protect against hazardous substances. • Remove PPE prior to exiting the lab to help prevent the spread of contamination. • Be sure you know the proper methods for putting on, taking off, and fit-checking any PPE worn.

Should the conditions in which the PPE is used alter, a new risk assessment should be conducted and the PPE changed if necessary. Storage of PPE • Separate from chemicals and other contaminants. • Store away from sources of heat. • Do not store under heavy objects. • Be aware that some equipment may have a limited shelf life.