From: Yaritza Brinker <YBrinker**At_Symbol_Here**FELE.COM>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] PPE Excuses for Non-Compliance
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2020 20:18:41 +0000
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: DM6PR05MB705291E0BAFD7CBA5A19BDE4AD710**At_Symbol_Here**DM6PR05MB7052.namprd05.prod.outlook.com
In-Reply-To


It sounds like you are trying to enforce a rule that has been ignored.  You will find resistance out of sheer refusal to change behavior. In my experience, having visible upper management support helps tremendously with the laziness related excuses.  This visibility could be direct or indirect in the way of:

e-mails,

from upper management or where upper management is on the CC box

short meetings

scheduled and opened by upper management, but where the floor is yielded over to you for the majority of the meeting time

new door signs

                PPE required beyond this point

                googles and lab coat required beyond this point

no food or drink beyond this point

                revised/updated safety program

consider adding a statement at the beginning of your written program reinforcing the requirements for wearing PPE at all times inside labs

 

Outside of laziness issues, I agree that most non-compliance is related to proper fit. For the most part, people want to wear the necessary PPE and will happily comply with the rules if the PPE fits.

 

However, I have seen situations where the PPE selection does get in the way of the work. So, you have to re-evaluate and adjust the PPE selection. I did once have a situation where hygiene was a real concern with shared gloves. So, we bought disposable glove liners to reduce sweat issues with the shared gloves.

 

Good Luck!!!

 

Yaritza

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Wiediger, Susan
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2020 12:18 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] PPE Excuses for Non-Compliance

 

** External Email **

Eyewear....

if I pull the strap tightly enough to seal to my face, I get an awful headache

 

To me, this springboard's off Debbie's comment about ill-fitting PPE, and ties in to diversity and inclusion issues.

splash goggles don't always fit well to all face types (flat cheekbones, petite, broad nose, small nose, etc.)

lab coat programs don't always allow for customization of body types -- how many folks are wearing an oversized lab coat so that it buttons over their hips or covers their arms to the wrist?

 

I realize this takes the conversation a little tangential, but hopefully in a relevant way -- finding resources to get comfortable and affordable PPE early in people's science experiences is important but hard to do.

Sue

 


From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> on behalf of Debra M Decker <00001204b93f9a5e-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2020 9:58 AM
To:
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] PPE Excuses for Non-Compliance

 

Hi Pauline:

 

 

I was hoping that you all could help me brainstorm additional excuses that you all have heard

 

Eyewear:

My glasses fog up.

I have to wear prescription glasses and safety glasses don't fit over my prescription glasses.

They hurt my ears.

The lenses are scratched.

I can't get close enough to my work (microscope use)..

I'm working in the biosafety cabinet,  fume hood, glove box and I have the sash/window in front of me.

 

Lab coat:

Too hot 

Too tight 

Too loose

Too long

Too short

The sleeves drag in my work.

Someone else wore it and it's not clean.

It might get caught in the equipment.

I don't care if my clothes get chemicals on them.

I'm allergic.

 

Fundamentally,  I think, it's ill-fitting PPE that people don't want to wear. If you go down this road, I hope the Institute is prepared to invest in a variety of sizes and shapes of PPE.

 

Itll be interesting to see what others come up with. 

 

Best 

Debbie

 

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