The objective of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Program is to protect employees from the risk of injury by creating a barrier against workplace hazards. PPE is not a substitute for good engineering or administrative controls or good work practices, but should be used in conjunction with these controls to ensure the safety and health of employees. Engineering or administrative controls and good work practices which reduce or eliminate exposures to hazardous chemicals include:

• substitution of a less hazardous substance

• substitution of less hazardous equipment or process

• isolation of the operator or the process

• local and general ventilation (use of fume hoods)

• hazard education

• job rotation

Where there is no immediate danger to the skin from contact with a hazardous chemical it is still prudent to select clothing to minimize exposed skin surfaces. A laboratory coat should be worn over street clothes and be laundered regularly. Laboratory coats are intended to prevent contact with dirt, chemical dusts and minor chemical splashes or spills. If it becomes contaminated it should be removed immediately and affected skin surfaces washed thoroughly. Shoes should be worn in the laboratory at all times. Sandals and perforated shoes are not appropriate. In addition, long hair and loose clothing should be confined.

Prevention of eye injuries requires that all persons who may be in eye hazard areas wear protective eyewear. This includes employees, visitors, researchers, contractors, or others passing through an identified eye hazard area. To provide protection for these personnel, Supervisors of such areas shall procure a sufficient quantity of goggles and/or plastic eye protectors which afford the maximum amount of protection possible. If these personnel wear personal glasses, they shall be provided with a suitable eye protector to wear over them. Suitable protectors shall be used when employees are exposed to hazards from flying particles, acids or caustic liquids, chemical liquids, gases, or vapors. When handling highly reactive substances or large quantities of hazardous chemicals, corrosives, poisons, and hot chemicals goggles with a face shield should be worn.

Contact lenses can increase the risk of eye injury if worn in the laboratory. Gases and vapors can be concentrated under such lenses and cause permanent eye damage. Chemical splashes to the eye can get behind all types of lenses. Once behind the lens the chemical is difficult to remove with a typical eyewash. For these reasons, it is recommended that contacts lenses not be worn in laboratories.

The following chart provides a comparison of eye protection devices under various situations. The source of this chart is ANSI standard Z87.1, Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection.

Suitable gloves shall be worn when hazards from chemicals, cuts, lacerations, abrasions, punctures, burns, biologicals, and harmful temperature extremes are present. One type of glove will not work in all situations. The selection of the proper glove requires knowledge of the health and physical hazards of the chemical that is used; familiarity with the glove manufacturer's test data (permeation rate and breakthrough time) and the length of the hand exposure.

The first consideration in the selection of gloves for use against chemicals is to determine, if possible, the exact nature of the substances to be encountered. Read instructions and warnings on chemical container labels and MSDSs before working with any chemical. Recommended glove types are often listed in the section for personal protective equipment. See the generic Glove Type Selection Guide below for glove types and chemical uses. Remember, always check the MSDS first.

* Not recommended for Acetaldehyde, Use Butyl rubber

• particle-removing air purifying respirators (N95, N100)
• gas and vapor-removing air purifying respirators
• air supplied respirators

If laboratory employees choose to use respirators in environments that do not warrant their use then they are required to comply with the below OSHA standard.

Respirators are an effective method of protection against designated hazards when properly selected and worn. Respirator use is encouraged, even when exposures are below the exposure limit, to provide an additional level of comfort and protection for workers. However, if a respirator is used improperly or not kept clean, the respirator itself can become a hazard to the worker. Sometimes, workers may wear respirators to avoid exposures to hazards, even if the amount of hazardous substance does not exceed the limits set by OSHA standards. If your employer provides respirators for your voluntary use, of if you provide your own respirator, you need to take certain precautions to be sure that the respirator itself does not present a hazard.

You should do the following:

1. Read and heed all instructions provided by the manufacturer on use, maintenance, cleaning and care, and warnings regarding the respirators limitations.

2. Choose respirators certified for use to protect against the contaminant of concern. NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, certifies respirators. A label or statement of certification should appear on the respirator or respirator packaging. It will tell you what the respirator is designed for and how much it will protect you.

3. Do not wear your respirator into atmospheres containing contaminants for which your respirator is not designed to protect against. For example, a respirator designed to filter dust particles will not protect you against gases, vapors, or very small solid particles of fumes or smoke.

4. Keep track of your respirator so that you do not mistakenly use someone else's respirator.