General Guidelines for Personal Protective Equipment Use

• Persons should be trained to use the equipment properly.
• The equipment should be appropriate for the task and should fit properly, especially gloves.
• The equipment should be free from physical flaws that could compromise safety.
• Persons must use appropriate protective equipment each time they perform a task involving potentially infectious materials.
• The employer should issue PPE or make it readily accessible in the work area.
• The employer should maintain, replace or dispose of any PPE at no cost to employees.
• Persons should remove all PPE prior to leaving the work area.
• Persons should place removed PPE in an appropriately designated area or container for storage, washing, decontamination or disposal.
• Persons should remove garments such as lab coats or aprons that are penetrated by blood or other potentially infectious materials immediately or as soon as feasible.