Put on a Cleanroom Suit

Cleanrooms are special environments that are shielded from contamination. In order to enter a cleanroom, scientists and other workers must put on a cleanroom suit that protects the room from any contamination that they might leave behind. The suit can also protect its wearer from any harmful materials in the cleanroom. The proper garments will be provided in a series of changing rooms that serve as airlocks and protect the cleanroom from outside contamination. Putting these garments on correctly will help ensure that the cleanroom stays clean.

Steps

Having the Proper Garments

1. Cover your hair. One of the easiest ways to noticeably contaminate an area is by shedding hair. Hair falls from your head to the floor or work surface. With it come proteins and bacteria that will contaminate the cleanroom. You will be required to wear a hood or hairnet of some kind to prevent any hair from falling in the cleanroom (this includes facial hair).
2. Protect your eyes. The small details matter in a cleanroom. Things like eyelashes and eyebrows also need to remain separated from the cleanroom. In addition to that, many clean room materials may be hazardous to the eyes. This means that goggles will be worn to serve a dual purpose ― protect the cleanroom from your eyes, and protect your eyes from the cleanroom.
3. Choose the right gloves. Your gloves should come from a plastic container. They should be free of powder and should not allow powders or liquids to be transferred. If you are working with solvents, you should be sure that your gloves are appropriate for that particular solvent (will not react with/be degraded by the solvent). Glove manufacturers will provide this information for all of their gloves.
4. Insulate your torso and legs from the environment. Hairnets and gloves are a good start, but they aren’t sufficient to keep a cleanroom clean. The most common way that people contaminate their environment is by leaving behind skin flakes. Skin flakes are small particles of skin that are shed from your body everyday. To combat these tiny contaminants, your torso, arms, and legs must be contained in coveralls. The coveralls also protect your body from the materials in the cleanroom.
5. Remember your shoes. Before entering a cleanroom, you will need to be covered from head to toe ― literally. Boots are an important part of your clean room suit. They cover your shoes to prevent particles coming off of the bottom of your shoes and being left in the cleanroom. Even if these particles are left on the floor, they can be stirred up and wind up contaminating the cleanroom workspace.

Following Protocol for Changing Room 1

1. Get ready to enter the pre-changing area. The pre-changing area, otherwise known as changing room 1, will be your first stop before entering the cleanroom. Before entering changing room one, you should remove all makeup, jewelry, and electronics. You should also wear a hair cover and indoor shows into changing room 1.
   • Make sure that you have kept up with personal hygiene. You should have showered approximately six hours before entering changing room 1.
2. Clean your shoes. As you enter changing room 1, there will be a sticky mat. This mat is used to trap the particles on the bottoms of your shoes and ensure that as few as possible are brought into the changing room. You should only be wearing inside shoes into the changing room.
3. Strip down unnecessary clothing. Once in changing room one, you can remove any clothing that you will not be wearing under your cleansuit. This helps to minimize contamination carried into changing room 2. These clothes are left in changing room 1 and are not carried into changing room 2.
4. Wash your hands. Use the washing liquid provided in changing room 1 to wash your hands. Afterword, you can dry them with a paper towel. Finish this step by disinfecting your hands with the disinfectant provided in changing room 1. You are now ready to move onto changing room 2.

Following Protocol for Changing Room 2

1. Put on gloves. Gloves will be individually wrapped in plastic. Do not tear the plastic wrapper. Instead, use the scissors provided to cut the wrapper where indicated. Put the gloves on your hands.
2. Ready the passover bench. The passover bench separates the “dirty” side of the changing room from the “clean side.” Disinfect this bench before proceeding. Then, lay the overalls and boots on the passover bench until you are ready to put them on.
   • Note that the overalls and boots will also be in individually wrapped plastic bags.
3. Tie on your facemask. Your facemask will protect your face from any pathogens or dangerous chemicals in the room. Likewise, it will be one more layer of protection to prevent your body from contaminating the cleanroom. Remove the mask from its packaging and tie it on. Take care to only touch the straps, and if necessary, the nosepiece.
   • Once the mask is tied, disinfect your gloves.
   • Use the scissors to open the packaging.
4. Fasten your hood. Your hood will be in separate packaging from the mask. Remove it from the packaging and put it on. You should only touch the lower fringe of the hood and the straps when putting it on.
   • Use the scissors to open the packaging, and disinfect your gloves once you finish putting on the hood.
5. Don your cleanroom overalls. Touch only the waist, the legs, and the cuffs of the overalls to remove them from the packaging. Put on the overalls, but do not allow them to touch any surface (including the floor). Also, avoid contact between the outside of the overalls and your body, this contact will lead to contamination.
   • Disinfect your gloves after completing this step.
   • Once the overalls are on, the cuff of the gloves should go overtop of the cuff of the overalls.
6. Slide on your boots. The last thing you will put on is your boots. For this step, you will use the crossover bench as a barrier. Slide one boot on, making sure that it only touches the floor on the clean side of the room (your other foot should still be on the dirty side of the bench). Next, slide the other boot on ensuring that the second boot only touches the floor on the clean side of the room. At this point, you cannot go back to the dirty side of the room.
   • Again, disinfect your gloves.
7. Take a final look. Once you have finished putting on your cleanroom suit, examine the suit for any tears. The changing room should have a mirror that you can use to see your entire suit and ensure that it has been donned properly and is intact. If the suit is correct and intact, you may enter the cleanroom.

Tips

• You should be trained on proper protocol before being required to put on a cleanroom suit.
• Take your time.

Warnings

• Never skip steps. Each step is crucial to preventing contamination.

References

See also

• Learn About Asbestos Legislation
• Avoid Germs at the Office
• Lift and Carry a Baby
• Find Alternatives to Sitting in a Desk
• Balance Work and Health
• Do Yoga at Your Computer
• Sue for Asbestos Exposure
• Obtain OSHA Reports
• Measure Work Safety
• Maintain Workplace Safety

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