Lab Coat Program

UW Safety Office

The University of Wyoming contracts with a local service to issue lab coats at no cost to faculty, staff, post-docs, graduate and under-graduates in UW research laboratories.

Various sizes and two types of lab coats, Barrier/Fluid (FL) Resistant and Flame Resistant & Chemical Protective (FR/CP) available.

Department Customer Owned Goods, COGs will be added to this program in the near future, contact UW Safety Office, Chemical Safety Specialist or call 766-3277 for more information for this process. This service is not for personally owned lab coats or students in academic laboratory classes.

Purchase poly/cotton lab coats at the University Store.

Download a printable bulletin of the information.

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Lab Coat Procedures

First-Time Users:

• Fill out a request form.
• Fill out the information requested, including the size and type of lab coat needed.
• Poly/cotton and fluid resistant lab coat order should arrive at the check-out location within 2 weeks. Flame Retardant lab coats arrive in about 4 weeks.
• Contact the UW Safety Office at uwehs@uwyo.edu for additional sizes.

Lab Coat Options

• Barrier/Fluid-Resistant - for biological materials and medical labs

• Poly/Cotton - used in academic teaching labs

• Flame Resistant/Chemical Protective - for water reactive, pyrophoric and all chemicals

Check-Out Procedures

You will need to provide the following information:

• Principal Investigator or designee required to fill out PPE Hazard Assessment Form.
• These lab coats will be available from the following two locations: Hill Hall 6th Floor and the Molecular Biology Dept. Rm 100A — AnSci/Mol Bldg.
• Your name, ‘W’ number, Email and phone number.
• Department name, Lab number and Principal Investigators (PI) name.
• A clean lab coat is exchanged after the dirty coat has been returned to the location you received your first lab coat.
• We need to be able to track where the lab coats are and which Dept. is using this service.
• Customer Owned Goods, COGs will be offered to Departments with teaching labs.

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The UW Safety Office is offering this program to the University of Wyoming scientific community. This program is growing and contributing to a positive Safety Culture in the UW community.

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Why wear lab coats?

• Lab coats are personal protective equipment and should be worn in the lab when working with chemicals, materials and biologicals to protect the skin and personal clothing from splatter and spills.
• Lab coats will absorb or deflect particles that you may not even be aware of: e.g. aerosols, dust and radiological hazards.
• Appropriate lab coats should be fully buttoned with sleeves rolled down.
• In case of an accident, it is much faster and easier to remove a lab coat than street clothes to minimize skin contact with hazardous materials.

 Watch:

"Experimenting with Danger"

U.S. Chemical Safety Board video on hazards associated with chemical laboratories in academic institutions.