Chapter 2 · PPE for laboratory staff

Laboratory PPE minimum requirements: laboratory coat at all times in the laboratory; gloves when handling specimens or potentially infectious material; eye protection for procedures generating aerosols or splashes; surgical mask or respirator as indicated by risk assessment. PPE must be removed before leaving the laboratory. Gloves must be changed between specimens or when torn. PPE is the last line of defence, not the primary control.

Chapter 2 · Practical example

PPE donning and doffing — the sequence is the safety

The sequence in which PPE is put on and removed is as important as wearing it. Incorrect doffing is one of the leading causes of self-contamination.

▲ The situation

A laboratory worker is about to enter an isolation area to process samples from a patient with confirmed Clostridioides difficile infection. She has gloves, apron, and mask available.

Reference: ISO 15189:2022 Clause 6.3; WHO PPE Guidelines

✓
Good practice

Correct donning: hand hygiene → apron → mask → gloves. On leaving: remove gloves by peeling from inside, do not touch the outside surface → hand hygiene → remove apron by rolling inward from back → hand hygiene → remove mask by ties not front panel → hand hygiene. She exits safely without touching any potentially contaminated surface with unprotected hands.

✗
Poor practice

The worker puts on gloves first because she is thinking about the task. On leaving, she removes the mask first by gripping the front panel — the most contaminated surface — then removes the apron without rolling it inward. She touches her face while removing the mask. The PPE was worn correctly but removed incorrectly, generating a self-contamination event that the PPE was meant to prevent.

● What this means for your practice

Post a donning/doffing sequence guide outside every isolation area and at every PPE station. Practise the doffing sequence until it is automatic. A mistake during doffing negates everything the PPE achieved during the task.