  when your standard operating procedure or hazard assessment calls
for an apron, an apron is necessary. You may also deem an apron necessary or
desirable if you believe there is a change of spoiling good clothes or soiling your lab
coat, or are undertaking work with a volume of liquid which is large enough and hazardous
enough to damage clothing.
 Again, see your standard operating procedure
or hazard assessment for the requirements. An ankle-length apron is good protection
from large volumes of extremely dangerous liquids such as human pathogens, hydrofluoric
acid, and very hot liquids.
 The
donning and doffing of an apron is typically intuitive. The photo shows a common
style of lab apron and how it is worn. Visually inspect the apron material before
putting it on and be certain that there are no tears or holes. Do not use an apron
that is not completely intact. If the apron suffers splashes or other
chemical/biological contamination during use, contaminants should be cleaned from its
surface before or immediately after removing it.
Obviously the apron does not protect what it does not cover. Wear suitable
protection on the upper parts of your body. Aprons are made of a variety of
different materials, some of which may be less appropriate for than others for particular
chemicals. Know (read manufacturer's information) what types of chemicals your apron
will and won't protect against. Remove the apron as quickly and carefully as you can
in the even of a drenching accident. (In case of drenching it will be necessary to
assess, very rapidly, whether you should remove the apron BEFORE or AFTER you get yourself into the emergency shower.
 Read the
manufacturer's information for best care and maintenance instructions. Aprons should
be kept clean and stored in a dry, temperate storage area (hung or folded). No
protective equipment that has been contaminated with hazardous materials should be taken
home for cleaning. Any item (including an apron or lab coat) which is so grossly
contaminated with hazardous material as to qualify as hazardous waste must be disposed of
as such. (This is a call that might be difficult for you to make; the criteria for
identifying a waste as hazardous waste are extremely bizarre. See "when is a waste a hazardous waste?" Or contact the
REM hazardous materials section at 40121.) Aprons (and other items) which are
contaminated with biologically hazardous materials, and which you cannot or do not wish to
clean, should go into the biowaste. |