This video demonstrates the donning and doffing of the following PPE:
Gown, Gloves, Disposable Face Mask, and Face Shield.
The first step is to remove personal items such as jewelry, watches, coats,
jackets, cellphones, pens, or additional bags, and place them
in a location outside of the laboratory. Then, tie back any long hair, if present.
Next, gather your solid front wrap-around gown with tight knit cuffs, a single pair of gloves,
a disposable face mask or an N-95 respirator,
and disposable face shield.
The decision whether to use a disposable face mask or an N-95 respirator will
depend on the laboratory site-specific and activity-specific risk assessment.
Note: This scenario will demonstrate donning and doffing a disposable face mask.
Make sure you have the right size gown and gloves And don’t forget to visually inspect all of your
PPE for rips, tears, loose or missing straps, and replace any defective PPE you find.
Next, pull on the gown, fastening it securely behind your neck and back or side.
Do not tie in a knot or fasten so tightly that you cannot easily remove it later.
Make sure that the gown fits well to allow for easy movement.
Street clothing should not be exposed.
Next, put on your disposable face mask with the ear loops behind your ears.
ensuring a snug fit against your face. With the index finger of both hands,
press down on each side of the flexible nose
piece so that the top of the face mask fits snugly against your nose and cheeks.
Put on the disposable face shield. Stretch to expand the elastic strap
and place it behind your head with the foam resting just above your eyebrows.
Adjust the strap so that it fits snugly against your face.
Face shields must cover your forehead,
extend below your chin, and wrap around the side of your face.
And finally, put on your gloves.
First, pull the gown’s knit cuff down around the palm of your hand and then
pull the glove over (not under) the cuff. This helps ensure your sleeves won’t slip out
and the knit cuff won’t be exposed to hazardous materials during work.
Ensure there are no punctures or tears in the gloves before beginning work.
The following steps describe one method and sequence of doffing PPE from most contaminated to least contaminated.
Other methods and sequences may vary based on the laboratory site-specific and
activity-specific risk assessments, the procedures being conducted, and the PPE worn.
The first step of doffing your PPE is removing your gown.
To do this, untie the gown at your waist, grasp the gown’s shouldersand
pull the gown forward, releasing the neck closure.
Pull the gown off your shoulders and away from your body, rolling the gown inside out as you go.
Once off your shoulders, remove your arms from the sleeves.
Before completely pulling off the gown sleeves, pinch the glove and sleeve together to help peel off the gloves.
Roll the gown it inside-out into a bundle. Take care to prevent the
potentially contaminated outside of the gown and gloves from touching your bare hands and your street clothes.
Dispose of the bundle into the biohazard waste container.
Apply alcohol based hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethanol or 70%
isopropanol (ABHS) to your hands. Wash your hands with soap and water, or don a new pair of gloves.
Tilt your head slightly forward to take off your face shield.
Grasp the straps above the ears and gently lift the face shield away from your face,
taking care to avoid touching the shield itself which may be potentially contaminated.
Then, discard the disposable face shield in the biohazard waste container.
To remove your disposable face mask, remove the ear loops,
taking care to avoid touching the potentially contaminated exterior surface of the face mask.
Pull the mask away from your face and dispose of it in the biohazard waste container.
Last, wash your hands with soap and water. Lather the backs of your hands,
between your fingers, and under your nails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds.
Washing hands with soap and water is the best method. However, if soap and water are
unavailable, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) containing at least 60% ethanol or
70% isopropanol can be used as a temporary solution until soap and water are available.
Additional Considerations
Closed shoes (with solid and impermeable uppers) should be worn in the laboratory.
PPE will vary, based on a laboratory site-specific and activity-specific risk assessment.
Donning and doffing areas should be physically separated from each other
to avoid contamination of clean PPE and personal belongings with potentially contaminated PPE.
Donning and doffing procedures vary per institution.
Follow institutional policies and procedures.
For additional training and workforce development resources, please visit cdc.gov/labtraining
and click on the Job Aids button.