Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The information provided in the Glove Selection Guide table is a generalization about the performance of each glove material. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriate for the work conditions must be worn when working with laboratory hazards. At minimum this must include:

• Laboratory coats (or other protective clothing such as aprons, scrubs, coveralls, etc.) 
• Safety glasses or splash goggles
• Gloves appropriate to the hazard
• Fully enclosed footwear (no sandals, flip-flops or ballet shoes)

A documented hazard assessment should be used to determine additional/appropriate PPE for your work. Visit the FAQ section on the Standard Operating Procedures page for more information about completing a hazard assessment.

Hearing conservation is an important objective in overall employee health at Iowa State University. The major goal is to reduce continuous noise levels below a Time Weighted Average (TWA) of 90 decibels through the implementation of reasonably feasible engineering and administrative controls. Visit our Noise and Hearing Protection page to learn more about your options at Iowa State University.

The OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard requires medical evaluation, fit testing, and training for individuals who intend to wear respiratory protection.  Iowa State University employees required to wear respiratory protection according to their job description or research protocol must participate in the ISU Respiratory Protection Program. Visit the Respirators page to learn more about using respiratory protection for your work.

OSHA considers disposable, filtering facepieces (N95, dust masks) to be respirators, and their use is regulated. Employees whose job description requires them to wear respiratory protection must participate in the ISU Respiratory Protection Program. Refer to the ISU Respiratory Protection Manual (PDF) for program details.

Employees who voluntarily use these devices for purposes that are not part of job requirements do not need to participate when the following conditions are true:

• Exposure to airborne contaminants is below OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs)
• Exposure is only to non-toxic nuisance materials 
• A procedure or research protocol does not require use
• Respirators are not worn to reduce exposure to gases or vapors

Voluntary users must follow the use, storage, and disposal guidelines on the Respirators page.