#  Personal Protective Equipment 

 



## Summary

How to choose and wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

## Who is this for?

- Building and operations management.
- Labs and research.



 

 

##  Personal protective equipment at Harvard 

Wearing the right PPE lowers your risk of injury and illness.

- Use PPE when you cannot eliminate hazards by other methods.
- Follow all regulatory and Harvard policy PPE requirements for specific processes and materials.
- Protect yourself and others by properly choosing, caring for, and using PPE.



 

##  Lab personal protective equipment 

Lab and research staff must use appropriate PPE to stay safe during lab work.

Use PPE like gloves, lab coats, and safety glasses to supplement your lab’s safety equipment and protocols.

Principal Investigators (PI) or their designees must follow [Harvard’s PPE policy for labs](/resource/lab-personal-protective-equipment-policy "Lab Personal Protective Equipment Policy") by:

- Regularly assessing your lab’s PPE needs.
- Ensuring PPE is readily available in your lab and that all staff members use it properly.

Use the [Assessment and Inspection Management System (AIMS)](/resource/assessment-and-inspection-management-system "Assessment and Inspection Management System") to manage lab PPE assessments.

 

 



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###    Lab gloves in common areas  expand\_more  

Avoid wearing gloves outside your lab.

Never let gloves touch any surface outside your lab, including common surfaces like:

- Card swipes.
- Door handles or elevator buttons.
- Phones.
- Water fountains.

Follow instructions for [transporting research materials while wearing gloves](/shipping-and-transportation "Shipping and Transportation").

 

 



 

 

 

 

##  Related resources 

Find documents and online tools to manage PPE.

 

 



  [### Assessment and Inspection Management System

 ](/resource/assessment-and-inspection-management-system)Manage lab safety inspections, personal protective equipment (PPE) assessments, and radiation-related materials and activities



 

 

   [### Biosafety Manual

 ](/resource/biosafety-manual)Safety guidance, policies, and procedures for work with biological materials



 

 

   [### Chemical Hygiene Plan

 ](/resource/chemical-hygiene-plan)Chemical safety requirements and guidelines for labs, including lab chemical standard operating procedures (SOP)



 

 

   [### Clean (No Gloves) Labels

 ](/resource/clean-no-gloves-labels)Printable clean (no gloves) labels



 

 

   [### Construction EHS Exhibit: Personal Protective Equipment

 ](/resource/construction-ehs-exhibit-personal-protective-equipment)Construction personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements



 

 

   [### Lab Coat Required Label

 ](/resource/lab-coat-required-label)Printable label to identify areas with lab coat requirements



 

 

   [### Lab Glove Selection

 ](/resource/lab-glove-selection)Choose gloves for skin protection skin against chemical contact hazards in labs



 

 

   [### Lab Gloves Required Labels

 ](/resource/lab-gloves-required-labels)Printable lab gloves required labels



 

 

   [### Lab Personal Protective Equipment Policy

 ](/resource/lab-personal-protective-equipment-policy)Personal protective equipment (PPE) policy for research, teaching, and conservation labs



 

 

   [### Laser Safety Manual

 ](/resource/laser-safety-manual)Safety policies and procedures for lasers and laser instruments



 

 

   [### Personal Protective Equipment Hazard Assessment Form

 ](/resource/personal-protective-equipment-hazard-assessment-form)Form to conduct a personal protective equipment (PPE) hazard assessment



 

 

   [### Personal Protective Equipment Program Template

 ](/resource/personal-protective-equipment-program-template)Template to create a personal protective equipment (PPE) program



 

 

   [### Radiation Safety Manual

 ](/resource/radiation-safety-manual)Safety policies and procedures for radiation, radioactive materials, and radiation generating devices



 

 

   [### Respirator Evaluations and Requests

 ](/resource/respirator-evaluations-and-requests)Evaluate if you need a respirator for certain work activities



 

 

   [### Respiratory Protection Medical Evaluation Form (HMS Students)

 ](/resource/respiratory-protection-medical-evaluation-form-hms-students)Form for HMS student respirator fit-testing



 

 

   [### Respiratory Protection Medical Evaluation Form (Staff)

 ](/resource/respiratory-protection-medical-evaluation-form-staff)Form for Harvard staff respirator-fit testing



 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  EHS support 

Contact EHS for more information about general PPE, including:

- Respiratory protection and respirator voluntary use form.

Contact [lab\_safety@harvard.edu](mailto:lab_safety@harvard.edu) for more information about PPE in labs, including:

- Choosing PPE by task, activity, or PPE type.
- Lab glove posters.
- Support for schools and labs implementing the lab PPE policy.



 

 

 See also:- [ Building and Operations Management ](/topic-areas/building-and-operations-management)
- [ Labs ](/topic-areas/labs)
- [ Personal Protective Equipment ](/topic-areas/personal-protective-equipment)
- [ Building and Operations Managers ](/audience/building-and-operations-managers)
- [ Labs and Research ](/audience/labs-and-research)