Protective Clothing and Personal Equipment

Abstract

Protective clothing and personal equipment are used to protect the laboratory worker from contact with infectious, toxic, or corrosive agents, and from excessive heat, fire, and other physical hazards. Also, suitable clothing and personal equipment can help protect research work from contamination. The research operations and the levels of potential hazard they present will determine the extent and kinds of clothing and equipment to be selected for any particular activity. While clothing and personal safety equipment are important in an overall biological safety program, they should be used with the understanding that they serve only as a secondary means of assuring safety and quality control. Proper use of biological safety cabinets and chemical fume hoods (discussed in Chapters 9 and 12), accompanied by good laboratory techniques and procedures, constitutes the primary barrier against potential exposure to hazardous materials.