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Obtaining PPE

Mandatory Trainings

BEFORE PPE is issued, anyone working in a UCM laboratory must complete the Lab Safety Fundamentals (Certification). If you are having trouble accessing training, fill out the following form. 

I'm a new lab member. How do I obtain PPE?

Each new lab member must follow the process outlined below to obtain free PPE through UC Merced's PPE store.

The process begins with the principal investigator (PI) adding the new lab member to the lab group using the online Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT). The LHAT is designed to aid in identifying hazards specific to each lab and make suggestions regarding the types of PPE required to mitigate the identified hazards. After a new lab member is entered into the LHAT system, he or she must do the following:

  1. Login to LHAT, review, and acknowledge the hazard assessment.
  2. Complete the online PPE Safety training in the 'Next Steps' section of the LHAT, including a short quiz.
  3. Ensure that the Lab Safety Fundamentals certification is complete and not expired.
  4. Make an appointment with EH&S to be fitted and obtain PPE. Click here to request a 30-minute PPE fitting appointment.  Students, faculty, and staff will be fitted by APPOINTMENT ONLY (all appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance).

Visit EH&S in SE 2 room 110 building during your scheduled appointment time.

*Trainings are available as eCourse in the UC Learning Center.

 

Lab coat program updates

UC Merced Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) runs a PPE program that provides lab coats to faculty, staff, and students free of charge. Due to changes in regulations, we needed to update our lab coat program. Here is a summary of the changes.

  1. We have switched from a “buy and borrow” model to a “rental model”.
  2. Under the new rental model UC Merced does not own the lab coats and we will be responsible for replacement cost if a lab coat goes missing. To help defray replacement costs, lab coat users will be required to sign a statement acknowledging the lab coat program policies upon enrollment.
  3. Freshly laundered lab coats will no longer be delivered to individual labs. Lab personnel will need to pick up from SE2 room 110 approximately one week after dropping off.
    • The process for obtaining lab coats (and other PPE), the pick-up and the drop-off locations, and the requirement to return all lab coats upon separation from UC Merced are all the same. 
    • Process for obtaining PPE: as shown above
    • Fitting and pick up location: Science and Engineering 2, room 110
    • Drop-off locations for soiled lab coats to be laundered have not changed.
      • Science and Engineering 1, Room 257
      • Science and Engineering 2, first-floor corridor
      • Castle Research Facility, hallway between rooms 1100 and 1200
      • Sustainability Research and Engineering, room 010
      • Biomedical Sciences and Physics, east elevator in the basement floor lobby

FAQ’s

1. Q: Who is affected by the change in the lab coat program?

A: All new and existing lab coat users in UC Merced EHS’s lab coat program.

2. Q: When is the change taking place?

A: August 2024.

3. Q: I’m a new lab coat user. What do I have to do to obtain a lab coat?

A: Ask your PI to add you to the lab groups laboratory hazard assessment tool (LHAT), complete required training, and make a fitting appointment. These steps outlined on our website: https://ehs.ucmerced.edu/researchers-labs/ppe/obtaining-ppe

4. Q: How long will it take to get my lab coat?

A: After you complete your fitting we will provide your information to the vendor. Your assigned lab coats will arrive with a weekly delivery seven to ten days later.

5. Q: What if I need a lab coat before immediately?

A: We can provide a temporary loaner coat. You will need to bring the loaner coat back to SE2 110 to get your assigned lab coats.

6. Q: I am an existing lab coat user and already have lab coats. What should I expect?

A: Existing lab coats will be replaced with new rented lab coats gradually. After you drop off your existing lab coat for laundering, it will be replaced with a new rented lab coat.

7. Q: Can I keep the lab coats when I leave UC Merced?

A: No. Existing lab coats are property of UC Merced and new lab coats are rented from the vendor. Failure to return them upon separation from UCM, e.g., graduation, end of employment, may result in a replacement charge.

8. Q: Can I clean my own lab coats?

A: No. The vendor cleans the lab coats. For your own safety please do not launder lab coats on your own. Soiled lab coats may be dropped of at several convenient locations. https://ehs.ucmerced.edu/researchers-labs/ppe/laundering

9. Q: How often are lab coats picked up to be laundered?

A: Weekly

10. Q: How long does laundering take?

A: In most cases, the vendor will return laundered lab coats the week after pick up. Clean lab coats will be available to pick up in SE2 room 110 during staffed hours.