Disposable protective clothing: keep germs at bay!

Germs have an unpleasant ability: they can make themselves at home on just about any surface. Especially on anything you wear on your body. Disposable gloves, disposable coveralls and other disposable protective clothing can’t change anything about this, but they still ensure that contamination is not an issue.

What is disposable protective clothing used for?

Work clothing contributes to employee safety and better work results. Disposable coveralls, disposable overshoes and disposable gloves go a few steps further. Overalls, coveralls, aprons or hoods are worn over the employee’s actual clothing, and is disposed of immediately after use. Protective clothing for limited multiple use or single use therefore prevents the following:

Cross-contamination in hygienically sensitive areas

Direct contact between problematic substances and people

Contamination of the actual clothing

Contamination of products or surfaces

Depending on the material and class, disposable clothing not only provides protection from germs, but also from hazardous gases and liquids, or everyday messes such as paint splashes, dust and stains.

What types of disposable protective clothing are available to purchase?

Disposable clothing is divided into different types depending on the protection class of the material. Decisive standards include EEC 89/686 and other norms covering the individual classes. The choice of type is based on the risk assessment for the respective work area, and the legal regulations that apply as a result. Disposable protective clothing product can combine several types:

Type 1 – gas-tight – for chemical protective suits with three subclasses for the breathing air supply

Type 2 – not gas-tight – protection from liquids, splashes and dust

Type 3 – liquid-tight – protective clothing against liquid chemicals

Type 4 – spray-tight – prevents spray contact with liquids

Type 5 – particle-tight – provides reliable protection from dust hazardous to health, for example during demolition work

Type 6 – limited spray-tight – can be used, for example, as a work overall for painting work

For ESD workplaces, EN 1149 requires that disposable protective clothing must also be antistatic. Some work environments require protection from particles contaminated with radioactive materials in accordance with EN 1073-2:2002 or protection from biological agents in accordance with EN 14126.

Where must disposable clothing be worn?

The law is familiar with many areas of application for disposable protective clothing for which simple work trousers or work shirts are not sufficient. These include, among others:

Asbestos disposal

Cement production

Working in a cleanroom

Pharmaceutical workplaces

Food production and processing

Medical care

Forensic work

Even if things aren’t quite as strict, disposable products are still in demand for industrial cleaning or manual activities.

We would be happy to provide you with further information on our products for protection and occupational health and safety. Simply contact us.

3M Disposable protective clothing