Cleanroom Gowning Protocol by the Numbers
Keeping contaminants like skin cells, hair, dust, dirt, perfume, bacteria, fungus, lint, and more out of the cleanroom is essential to maintaining their strict environmental standards. That’s why cleanrooms have established gowning protocols to ensure that each person entering the controlled area follows the best practices to keep dirt away.
If you’re new to the cleanroom environment, the professionals at Total Source Manufacturing have put together this list of 5 steps commonly followed in cleanroom gowning procedures.
1. Personal Items
Before entering the clean gowning area, employees visit a locker where they remove personal items such as jewelry, watches, rings, keys, pens, cigarettes, and cell phones. They are encouraged to stop smoking for 30 minutes before entering the donning station. Once their personal items are stowed, they can enter the “dirty” side of the donning station. There is usually a sticky mat to step on to contain any loose contaminants.
2. Head Protection
Now, the employee will work from the top down to keep things sterile. A hood or bouffant will be donned to contain shedding hair. If there is facial hair, a beard cover is donned next. A mask completes the protection for the head.
3. Coveralls
Next comes the full-body coveralls, or the partially covering frocks, depending on the classification of your cleanroom. Cleanrooms classified as ISO Class 6 or cleaner usually require full coveralls while ISO Class 7 or ISO Class 8 may only need frocks. These must be donned with care to ensure they don’t pick up contaminants from the floor or from the “dirty” side of the donning station.
4. Gloves
After the coveralls are on, it’s time to work on hand cleanliness. A handwashing station will have touch-free applications and employees will wash with soap for a minimum of 15 seconds, then use the air dryer to finish. Donning gloves using care to keep the external surface clean is the next step. Some cleanrooms require wearing double gloves or using alcohol to clean the hands before donning.
5. Shoe Covers
The final step in cleanroom gowning is covering your street shoes. You will be required to don disposable shoe covers and step carefully to the “clean” side of the donning station, one clean foot at a time. Again, a sticky mat will be installed prior to entering the cleanroom.
Get Your Cleanroom Supplies Today
To procure the right cleanroom supplies to follow proper gowning protocols, call us today at Total Source Manufacturing. We offer contract bulk pricing for cost savings and convenient restocking. Our knowledgeable customer service team can help you get the right supplies for your cleanroom stock.
