Personal Protective Equipment: Safeguard for scientists.

Hello beautiful people
Welcome to my blog.


Today I want to talk about protective laboratory wears, the personal protective covering or equipment, known in short form as PPE.

Reason for this Post

Last week Sunday in my school fellowship, we had professional Sunday, where students from different departments come together to give a simple talk on why they are in their line of field.

The place was decorated with different faculties ranging from law to science to engineering to clinical to basic medical to social science and so much more.

One thing that got me shocked was when someone from the department of philosophy asked a fellow scientists what the lab cloth is all about and why wear them.
The young scientist answered

It’s a lab ethics and it protects you.
Well he got it right in a way, but that’s not really all.

Later I got to find out that lots of students are not familiar with the “PPE” including my fellow science students.
So this post is aimed on explaining the meaning, and reasons of personal protective equipment (PPE).

What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ?

When carrying out experimental work , experimental hazards occur in every workplace or station, which could be in so many forms, ranging from exposures to sharp edges, chemical spills, flying sparks, dusts, and a myriad of other dangerous situations.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) can be regarded as clothing material or as a gear which is/are used in the laboratory or field as a means to protect wearers from hazards.
They are lab wears.

It is also regarded as a system used by scientists, administrative officers to reduce work place hazard, which could put the scientist in harm.


I’m sure we are familiar with movies that involves war or we must have seen soldiers with their armor.
Now , a soldier cannot go into battle without it’s armour ,no sir, he won’t last long enough.
The soldier puts his whole armour, helmet, bullet proof vest, etc to combat the opposition.
The same is likened to the scientist.
A scientist does not carry out an experimental analysis either in the laboratory or the field without a proper armor (PPE).
The PPE worn by scientists differs depending on the different scientific fields and they are all still generally called PPE.

What are the Types of Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment are of different types and they includes :

• Protective covering (lab cloth)

Authors :

This is the first protective material a scientist put on before entering the laboratory, usually this is worn not in the laboratory but in the changing room, it is rather a good lab ethics to put on lab cloth outside the laboratory before entering.
The laboratory clothes should be zip up or button completely to the very top to avoid different levels of organic exposures.
The wears come in different colours Usually for those involve on life sciences such as animal environmental biologist (AEB), Botany, physics, chemistry etc, the clothes usually worn is white in colour, as well as with those in pharmacy, clinical.
For those in biochemistry, theirs is quite different, some go with the yellow colour while others with the white colour.
The engineers have a different colour ranging from blue to black then orange depending on their specific fields.
The lab cloth is important as it protects the wearer from organic attack which could be inform of chemical spills and other hazard in workplace station.

It is quite imperative that scientists should avoid putting on loose clothes as this could get entangled in the equipment during analysis.

• Leg protection

The foot wear is also another PPE.
It helps protect the scientist from chemical spills.
I remember my senior high year We were asked to do an acid-base titration, before diluting the acid, a student with a shaky hand poured out some acid on the floor while trying to pour it into a beaker.
The acid fell to the floor where he was standing and guess what, it immediately consumed his foot wear.
Now imagine it was his leg. So the foot wear is important.
Workers and scientist should request for friction enabled foot wear.

• Eye protection

Commonly called google.
The eye wear is important both in the lab and in the field. Just imagine the welder refuses to put on his eye cover, those photon spikes would splash into his or her eyes.
So it’s very important.

• Nose mask
  Another one is the nose mask. Some chemicals have offensive odour, also lab animals excrete is offensive to the nose and health of a scientists, hence the need for a nose mask.
  The nose mask differ in sizes and quality.
  
  

• Helmet

In my time during my siwes attachment, someone got injured 🤕 on the head, when a bottle carelessly kept above where his station was.
The helmet protects the scientist from head injuries especially in the field.
Hair net in the lab allows the scientist to properly pack his or her hair to avoid it being cut up in a machine or strands of hair mixing with the chemicals.

• Other PPE includes: face mask, ear cover hand glove, long trouser, etc.
  
  
  It is not advisable for young scientist to carry out any experimental procedures without putting on the PPE, and I feel employers, school lecturers should ensure this.
  
  

My experience in the laboratory

I remember carrying out an experimental analysis with the use of ammonia, you know how choking it can get when diffusion occurs, so I forgot to check the switch to the fuming chamber, after opening the concentrated ammonia, the whole laboratory was in no time chocking.
I was in haste and forgot to check things out first.
Thank goodness my nose mask was on, but I chased out others from the lab.

Also I remember the story, my friend once shared, he said

I was in a tunnel down below under ground, a stone fell on me but my helmet shielded me, I felt strong Pain, I only imagine if my helmet was not on me, probably more damage would have been done.

Now You See why putting on PPE is very important.

importance of Personal Protective Equipments

The personal protective equipment (PPE) is important as it helps in reducing environmental hazard which could occur in the field or laboratory during experimental procedures.
Just like we are exposed to germs every day, a scientist is exposed to hazards every time and even though controls and safe system measure of work have been applied some hazards might remain.
These injuries can be in form of the eyes, nose body, head etc.
PPE is needed in these cases to reduce the risk.
The whole armor on a soldier does not completely protect him from harm during battle, only reduces his chances of death, thus personal protective equipment do not protect you completely, no sir it only reduces the risk of getting hurt.

What is required for PPE

• Get a good knowledge of PPE.
• Respect your PPE, do not misuse it, keep it well and it will just do the same to you.
• Make use of your PPE before any experimental procedures, this is to reduce the risk of hazards.
• Go for PPE training when necessary
  Also it’s important to use products or wears marked with CE, this is in accordance with the rules and regulation equipment, 2002
  So when next you want to engage on that experimental procedures, make sure your personal protective equipment is fully on.
  
  

Conclusion

Personal protective equipment is an important aspect to science and scientist should be aware of its important to them and work station. The equipment does not protect life completely but reduces the risk of being exposed to work place hazard which could occur any time in the field or laboratory.
It is important for scientists to carry out PPE training, and see the actual importance of it.
Allowing science personal or other folks inside the laboratory without a proper wear guard should not be allowed.
Abusing of PPE is abusing that which could reduce risk to hazard, hence it’s important to take care of PPE.

References

https://www.ppe.org/osha/
https://www.hsdirect.co.uk/free-info/Personal-Protective-Equipment.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_protective_equipment

Thanks for reading.

@magdnrobinson

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