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178 Healthcare: Personal Protective Equipment
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Protective Clothing

Protective clothing includes gowns, aprons, lab coats, head covering, and shoe covers.

Protective clothing includes gowns, aprons, lab coats, head covering, and shoe covers.

The purpose of protective clothing is to reduce or eliminate exposure to anticipated hazards, such as bloodborne pathogens or chemicals.

  • These are often used during surgery to protect you and the patient.
  • Visitors wear gowns if they are visiting a person who is in isolation due to an illness that can be easily spread.

You may need special PPE when handling some cancer drugs. This equipment is called cytotoxic PPE.

  • You may need to wear a gown with long sleeves and elastic cuffs. This gown should keep liquids from touching your skin.
  • You may also need to wear shoe covers, goggles, and special gloves.

Employees must remove protective clothing before leaving the room and dispose of it in an appropriately designated area or container for storage, washing, decontamination, or disposal. Employees should never take protective clothing home to be washed or cleaned. 29 CFR1910.1030(d)(3)(vii) 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(3)(viii)

Hearing Protection

Occupational exposure to high noise levels can be found in different areas of the hospital (e.g., laundry, engineering, and heliport). Employee exposure to noisy machinery, or equipment, may induce hearing loss, hearing impairment, hypertension, elevated blood pressure levels, and/or other health hazards.

Earplugs or muffs should be worn whenever exposure to loud sounds is anticipated. Your employer may also have a hearing protection program to evaluate noise exposure and determine PPE requirements.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-6. What is the purpose of protective clothing PPE?