Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] Use in TB Lab Settings

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Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] Use in TB Lab Settings

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Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] Use in TB Lab Settings

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What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

PPE refers to physical barriers which are used alone or in combination to protect an individual's mucous membranes, airways, skin and clothing from contact with infectious agents, hazardous material, conditions or processes.

Components of PPE

Protective clothing: Surgical gowns and laboratory (lab) coats
Respiratory devices: N95 respirators
Hand protection: Gloves
Head protection: Headgear/ hair covers/ caps
Foot protection: Shoe cover, safety shoes/ closed-toe shoes
Eye protection: Safety glasses/ goggles, shields

PPE Hazard Assessment

Evaluation of the PPE requirements for a specific activity or work environment is carried out by the lab director.
For TB labs it is based on the risk assessment. PPE requirements will thus differ according to whether activities are classified as low risk, medium risk or high risk.

PPE Usage in Different Sections of the TB Laboratory

The table below lists the different PPE requirements for different sections of the TB lab.

Table: PPE usage in different sections of TB labs
Section/ Room	PPE used/ preferred
Sample collection/ reception room	Lab coat, gloves
Smear microscopy section/ room/ Designated Microscopy Centre (DMC)	Lab coat, gloves
Cartridge-based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) sample processing section	Lab coat, gloves, Surgical mask
Sample opening area(in a higher laboratory)	Surgical gown, gloves and N95 respirator
Media preparation room	Designated lab coat, gloves, hair cover, shoe covers/ closed-toe shoes
Culture reading room	Lab coat, gloves, N95 respirator
Line Probe Assay (LPA) clean rooms	Designated lab coat, gloves, hair cover, shoe covers/ closed-toe shoes
Walk-in cold room	Lab coat, insulating gloves, shoe covers/ closed-toe shoes
Walk-in incubator	Lab coat, respirator and gloves, shoe covers/ closed-toe shoes
Corridor inside the lab	Lab coat, shoe cover/ closed-toe shoes
Deep freezers	Lab coat, cryo gloves
Disinfection, washing and sterilisation room	Lab coat, gloves (heavy duty), insulating gloves, closed-toe shoes