Safety and health professionals in a wide variety of industries use a hierarchy of controls to mitigate workplace hazards. It begins with a culture of safety. Next come engineering controls and technical solutions, followed by proper work practices. But accidents can still happen. When they do, PPE becomes the worker’s last line of defense.
In the lab setting, PPE can include safety glasses or goggles, breathing masks, gloves, lab coats and beyond. To determine the proper PPE for the job, safety professionals must assess the hazards present in their particular lab, as required by OSHA 1910.132, the standard on general protective equipment requirements.