Environmental Health & Safety - Personal Protective Equipment

Researchers, faculty and other employees are protected on campus from hazardous exposures by several means including engineering, administrative controls and personal protective equipment.  Engineering controls include but are not limited to: building and equipment design and construction, ventilation systems, safety cabinets and fume hoods, fire detection and alarm systems.  Administrative controls include safe work practices and procedures, rules and regulations, instruction manuals and signs.  Personal protective equipment should be worn when engineering and administrative controls are insufficient to protect against a hazard.  Personal protective equipment may include: eye and face protection such as chemical splash goggles and faceshield, respirators, gloves, lab coats, protective footwear such as chemical resistant boots, and hearing protective devices such as earplugs or muffs.

Respirators are not permitted to be worn until the intended use is reviewed by the Environmental Health and Safety Department, safe work practices are established and written, the intended wearer of the respirator submits to a respirator qualification evaluation and physical examination which are found satisfactory, and the wearer passes a respirator fit-test with the respirator to be worn.

Two websites that may be of further interest are: labsafety.com for general personal protective equipment information and Best Gloves' CHEMREST ~ Informational Web Site.  Quoting Best Gloves: "Be advised most glove products are made of standard materials (common types of materials include viton, PVC, nitrile, latex, cotton, leather, etc.). However, some manufacturers' specific product lines may vary slightly. For example in glove construction the thickness of the material used may be greater or lesser from glove manufacturer to glove manufacturer. Thereby, gloves made of the same material though different in construction may actually vary in performance including resistance to abrasion and tears, chemical break-through time and permeation rates. These differences may be reflected in glove cost.  When choosing one type of glove and manufacturer over another the workplace exposure or hazards, performance ratings and user needs must be considered in conjunction with cost. Anyone selecting a glove should have training and/or full understanding of workplace hazards, glove types/performance and know the user needs. Improper selection and use of a glove may result in injury and incur a liability.  This web page is the Best Gloves' CHEMREST On the Web information site. It may be used as a tool to assist you in glove selection when considering workplace exposure. A "Best Glove" may or may not perform exactly as would a glove from another manufacturer such as "ABC" company. This should be kept in mind when selecting, purchasing and using a particular glove.”

If additional information or assistance is required, contact the Environmental Health and Safety Department, phone 914-594-4078 or the personal protective equipment manufacturer.