Safety first: Lab coats, aprons, goggles and more to be handed out

by Dave Jones
February 04, 2014

Graphic: Lab worker (cartoon-like character) in goggles.

Don’t ever doubt UC Davis’ status as a major research university. Take a look at these numbers for personal protective equipment that we will be handing out next week to principal investigators and lab staff:

4,074 barrier lab coats
5,718 flame-resistant lab coats
4,336 regular lab coats
9,762 pairs of splash goggles
1,784 face shields
1,801 splash aprons
10,018 pairs of safety glasses

The distribution, Feb. 10-14, will culminate a monthslong process to update and standardize personal protective equipment, in accordance with a UC-wide policy issued last June.

UC set the policy’s effective date for March 31, 2014, allowing sufficient time for lab hazard assessments and training, and the acquisition of thousands and thousands of pieces of equipment for the entire university system.

“We are doing this to ensure hazards have been clearly identified and communicated to all lab workers and appropriate PPE is matched to those hazards,” said Jill Parker, associate vice chancellor for UC Davis Safety Services.

And to provide better fits — in the case of lab coats, which will come in men’s and women’s sizes, instead of unisex.

At UC Davis, as of Monday (Feb. 3), 852 principal investigators had registered their labs, and 6,513 lab employees had completed their hazard assessments and safety training, both prerequisites to sign up for the PPE distribution event.

Not all who registered will attend the event — they already have the appropriate safety gear or they will be out of town — but 4,379, so far, had reserved PPE fitting times. More are expected as Safety Services continues reaching out to PIs who had not yet enrolled their labs and lab staff.

The distribution is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day next week on the second floor of The Pavilion at the ARC. Lab workers will be appropriately fitted for their required PPE, which they will receive free of charge.