Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be worn by students, employees and visitors entering areas with known or potential exposure(s) to hazardous materials. Supervisors are required to ensure PPE use according to these standards. PPE includes lab coats, eye protection, gloves, face shields, etc. The Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) provides guidance on appropriate PPE for specific activities and hazards. The following information will help you provide the proper PPE for your laboratory.
How to order a lab coat:
There are different types of lab coats for the various materials that one may encounter in the lab. In order to determine the type of lab coat that one may need, there is a handy Laboratory Hazards Analysis Tool (http://adminopsnet.usc.edu/sites/default/files/all_departments/EHS/LHAT%20mod.%209-30-2015.pdf) provided by the USC Environmental Health & Safety department.
Once the necessary type of lab coat is determined, the following information should be submitted to ehs@usc.edu:
- Lab Coat Type
- Size(s)
- Quantity
- Lab contact person – phone and email address
- Building and room number of lab
- Physical Address of the building
It is recommended that every lab personnel have at least two lab coats so that one would not be without a lab coat while the other is being laundered.
Angelica, USC’s preferred vendor for lab coat purchase and laundering, will provide a Garment Request Form (GRF) with final costs upon the submission of the order from EHS. The signed GRF then should be submitted to the following three places: a) Angelica; b) one’s business office; and c) EHS. All new lab coats will be delivered to the labs and should come with a specific Angelica bar code, which will allow for proper identification when the coat goes back to Angelica to be laundered.
Laundering/repairing lab coats:
There are conveniently located drop-off/pick-up locations for lab coat laundering throughout the campus. Most buildings with research facilities should have one.
All locations can be found here: http://adminopsnet.usc.edu/sites/default/files/all_departments/EHS/PU_DO%20locations_HSC.pdf. Please note that the lab coat must be fitted with an Angelica bar code in order for it to be properly returned.
If a lab coat is in need of repair, an Angelica Repair Tag should be filled out (Click here for a printable version) and secured onto the lab coat with a safety pin before being placed in a plastic bag. This bag can then be dropped off at one of the designated drop-off locations for laundering. If a lab coat does not have an Angelica bar code, a request for a bar code can be made using the Angelica Repair Tag as well.
Contact Information:
For inquiries directly to Angelica, please call (888) 293-2100. For inquiries relating to safety measures, please contact the EHS office located on the HSC at (323) 442-2200. For all other inquiries regarding lab coats, please contact Julie Carl of the Office of Dean & Research at jcarl@usc.edu.