Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidelines for Laboratory Work

Minimum attire to enter the laboratories: 

Full-length pants or equivalent (e.g. ankle length dress) and full-coverage shoes must always be worn by all workers who are entering or occupying a laboratory; the skin between the pants and shoes must not be exposed. Heels and toes should be covered.

• Avoid tight fitting clothing, as they could hold chemicals against the skin when saturated. 

• Avoid porous sneakers which can allow chemicals to pass through more quickly.

• Cotton clothing is preferred over synthetic material, as synthetics are generally less chemical and flame resistant.

Bakar Bio Labs provides free locker access for those who want to keep lab-appropriate attire onsite.

PPE when working with, or adjacent to, hazardous material usage areas within a laboratory:

Laboratory coats and protective eyewear are required to be worn by all persons working with hazardous materials. Additionally, laboratory personnel occupying the adjacent area, who have the potential to be exposed to chemical splashes or other hazards, are required to wear the same PPE. When working with hazardous materials, inform others in the vicinity so that they can adopt PPE appropriate to the situation.

Researchers should apply their best judgment on what PPE to wear based on the work you are performing, the documented hazards of the material being used (from Safety Data Sheets or similar), and any applicable SOP (whether Bakar Bio Labs SOPs, their company’s internal SOPs, their company's BUA and amendments, and their company's Hazard Assessment). 

There are areas where PPE is expected regardless of personal judgment. These scenarios are based on consulting with campus EH&S officials with regards to Bakar Bio Labs:

• When you are working adjacent to, shadowing, or supporting the work of individuals who are already wearing PPE, wear PPE to match what your colleagues are wearing.

• Full PPE (lab coat, protective gloves, protective eyewear) is expected in the following situations:

  • When working with chemicals or items where a GHS hazard symbol is visible on the packaging or SDS.

  • When working with items or equipment labeled with a biohazard symbol.

  • When working in a biological safety cabinet (BSC).

  • When working in a chemical fume hood.

  • When interacting with and accessing CO2 incubators or microbial culture incubators.

Use of PPE outside of the labs:

• Remove your lab coat prior to leaving the laboratory.

• You may use a gloved hand to carry sample totes through the building. Secondary transport must always be decontaminated prior to leaving the laboratory.

• Remove gloves before touching door handles or elevator buttons.

• You may transport a lab coat from lab-to-lab by folding it up and sealing it in a Ziploc bag. LabOps provides resealable bags under the sinks in all laboratories. 

  • Coats used in the shared TC rooms (116/502) must remain in those rooms and not used elsewhere in the building. This is to reduce contamination risk in these rooms.

• Never bring or wear PPE into common spaces, such as hot-desk areas, offices/conference rooms, eating areas, restrooms, the lobby, outside, or the passenger elevator.

Notes on lab coats:

• Lab coats are provided by Bakar Bio Labs. More details can be found here.

• Lab coats must be the appropriate size for the worker, buttoned/snapped to their full length. There should be no exposed skin between the gloves and the sleeves of the lab coat.

• Laundering: When one is ready to replace their lab coat, it should be placed in the designated hampers throughout Bakar Bio Labs. If the coat has been knowingly contaminated with hazardous materials, it must be discarded as hazardous waste. Do not place a hazardous coat inside the hampers.

• Request a coat for each laboratory you routinely perform work in. Please submit a Freshdesk Ticket if you need more space (hooks, garment racks) to store a coat.
  
  

Notes on protective eyewear:

• Protective eyewear is provided by your company. LabOps provides basic protective eyewear in the shared TC rooms, 116 & 502. Please decontaminate and re-use eyewear where possible.

• All protective eyewear must meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and be appropriate for the work being done. Typical prescription glasses are not suitable as eye protection. ANSI protective eyewear that fits over prescription spectacles can also be used.
  
  

Notes on protective gloves:

• Nitrile gloves are provided in shared laboratories, along with cryo- and heat-resistant gloves in Rooms 503 and near the liquid nitrogen fill station. In other areas, your company must provide them.

• Protective gloves must be worn while using any hazardous materials, hot or cold liquids (including cryogenics), objects that pose a risk of thermal burns, items having physical hazards or that may cause hand injury, and biologicals (viable BSL1 & BSL2 cells).

• The type of glove must be appropriate for the material or process being used and must not interfere with the ability of the worker to work safely. Consult the Safety Data Sheet for the material in question to determine if the glove is appropriate. See the UC Berkeley Glove Selection Guide for more details.

• Disposable gloves must not be re-used. They must be discarded upon removal.

For more details on PPE, please see the UC Berkeley EH&S Fact Sheet on PPE. Note that some of the programs mentioned in this fact sheet are not available to Bakar Bio Labs tenants. Please submit a Freshdesk Ticket if you have questions about PPE and our policies.