Personal protective equipment (PPE) helps minimize the risk of bodily injury. The type of PPE required are based on the hazards and procedures involved. For chemical hazards, the PPE required is listed on the Material Safety Data Sheet. Prudent practices should be followed when working with hazardous equipment such as power tools, lasers, hotplates, DNA viewing sources, centrifuges and vacuum pumps. It is important to note that not all PPE are created equally. For example, different chemicals require different types of gloves. There is a chart in the Grice Computer Lab (108) which lists common laboratory chemicals and rates protection abilities of various types of gloves. It is always important to make sure you have the right PPE for the hazard and that you completely understand its limitations. You should always inspect your PPE prior to use. Damaged PPE will not provide adequate hazard protection.
PPE cannot provide any protection unless you USE it!
| Types of PPE |
Body Parts Protected |
| Glasses & Goggles | Eyes |
| Face Shield | Face |
| Gloves | Hands & Arms |
| Lab coat & Apron | Body |
| Closed-toed Shoes |
Feet |
| Helmet | Head |
| Earplugs | Hearing |
| Fume hood |
Respiration |
| Types of Hazards |
Sources |
| Impact & Penetrations | Vacuum & Partial Pressures |
| Compressions | Roll over or crush |
| Heat | Hotplates |
| Harmful dust | Asbestos |
| Radiation | Isotopes |
| UV light | DNA Viewing Sources |
| Toxic fumes | Chemicals |
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