Personal Protective Equipment worn by people testing COVID-19 samples

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 4 pairs of gloves, mask, disposable apron, safety googles, disposable over sleeves, disposable lab coat and visor of the type used at the Lighthouse Lab at Alderley Park, by staff during COVID-19 testing, 2020-2021

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is important to protect those testing COVID-19 samples. Not only do people have to learn the order to put it on (donning) and take off (doffing) but how to complete their tasks. Sometimes it can be hot or awkward wearing extra layers. Some tasks also involve using gloves inside a safety cabinet.

Alderley Park in Cheshire is one of the UK’s Lighthouse Labs – a high volume COVID-19 testing facility. Over 80,000 samples are tested every day. The lab is open 24 hours, seven days a week, staffed by three teams, each working a shift. The Lighthouse Labs take their name from the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing technology which uses fluorescent light to detect the virus.

On 18 March 2020, Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) was asked by the UK government to coordinate the creation of the Lighthouse Labs Network and run one of the labs. Based at Alderley Park, MDC found a disused and empty building and with over 1000 volunteers and support from companies and the army, developed a testing facility that processed its first sample on 7 April 2020. Skilled local university students, postgraduates, PhD candidates and scientific and medical researchers, and staff from Medicines Discovery Catapult, AstraZeneca, and Cancer Research UK all gave their time to test samples.

Details

Category:
Public Health & Hygiene
Object Number:
2022-116
Materials:
plastic (PET), nitrile, plastic and polypropylene
Measurements:
overall (red gloves): 160 mm x 295 mm,
overall (lab coat): 25 mm x 300 mm x 330 mm,
overall (safety googles): 160 mm x 75 mm,
overall (sleeves each): 10 mm x 380 mm x 55 mm,
overall (face covering): 260 mm x 100 mm,
overall (apron): 15 mm x 190 mm x 110 mm,
overall (dark blue): 200 mm x 110 mm,
overall (green): 180 mm x 190 mm,
overall (light blue): 90 mm x 220 mm,
overall (visor): 330 mm x 220 mm
type:
personal protective equipment