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The potential hazards in a laboratory setting are numerous and complex. They can include accidental spills and splashes of dangerous chemicals, potential contact with biological agents, handling of radioactive materials, use of high voltage electrical equipment, manipulation of awkward, heavy items etc. Often times, wearing Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, is a necessary defense against certain types of hazards and/or in the event of an emergency. This document is designed to orient you to the concept of PPE and how to get started in selecting the best PPE for the tasks you perform.
The term "PPE" is used to describe any safety gear you may wear on your body to protect you from hazards in your lab. Any given type of PPE may come in a wide variety of configurations, materials, sizes, shapes, and styles. Many times the variety in PPE stems from exact nature of the hazard against which the PPE must protect. For example, a researcher working extensively with benzene would not choose to use nitrile gloves (typical gloves available in labs at Harvard University) because benzene, a cancer-causing agent, is known to degrade nitrile fairly quickly and may endanger the health of the researcher.
To avoid potentially hazardous situations, each lab must conduct a hazard assessment to identify the hazards and select the most appropriate type of PPE for protection. Hazard assessments are typically conducted by the Principal Investigator or the Laboratory Safety Representative and should be documented. EH&S has a form available to assist laboratories in documenting hazards and PPE selection.
After a determination of the hazards is completed, this information is used to select the most appropriate PPE. There are many guides available, both on this website and elsewhere, to assist you. Click on the links in the sidebar above to get more information and selection tips for any particular type of PPE. If you encounter especially complex situations and need assistance you may contact EH&S.
Once the best choice of PPE has been determined, labs may wish to keep track of this information. EH&S has a form available to document the PPE issued to lab personnel available.
