Lab Coat Distribution

The UCSF ChemCentral Laundry Coat Distribution and Laundry Program provides UCSF Campus employees access to lab coats at no cost. ChemCentral also offers laboratory coat laundry services, as well as resources for selecting lab coats.

Why do I need a lab coat? 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is considered as the last line of defense against hazards. The UCSF Personal Protective Equipment (PPE Policy) requires lab coats to be worn when handling hazardous materials or when working adjacent to someone working with hazardous materials work. PPE includes all clothing and accessories. It is vital that you use the appropriate body protection for the hazards that you will encounter. 

Obtaining Lab Coats 

ChemCentral aims to provide UCSF Campus employees with clean lab coats when they want and need them; for this reason, UCSF is no longer providing personalized assigned lab coats to reduce inconvenient laundry turnaround times.  

For new researchers: 

*Completing your Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT) will determine the appropriate type of lab coat that you will need. LHAT determines the appropriate protection based on the laboratory hazards you work with. Complete the “PPE Safety Training” in the “Next Steps” section at the end of the LHAT acknowledgement to review how to use PPE correctly. The PPE voucher provided is for your reference and will inform you of the coat types needed for your lab space. For more LHAT information and PPE resources, visit the EHS website.*

No appointment is required to obtain a lab coat and you do not need to bring your PPE voucher, as our lab coat distribution locations are self-serve. Simply take your desired coat type/size/fit and utilize our self-check-out kiosk or smartsheet to let us know what was taken.

For current UCSF Campus employees (who have already received a lab coat): 

  1. Collect your used/dirty lab coat(s) from your work area.

  1. Bring the used/dirty lab coat(s) to a ChemCentral Lab Coat Distribution location. Place it in the dirty laundry bin. 

  1. Select a clean lab coat in your size, utilize our self-checkout kiosk to scan the corresponding catalog barcode (Parnassus, Pride Hall) or fill out the SmartSheet (Byers Hall, MTZ) complete the exchange! 

*Simply bring in your used lab coat to a ChemCentral location, drop off the used coat, select a clean one, and checkout at our self-check-out kiosk or via SmartSheet! Don’t worry lab coats and laundry service will still be free of cost!* 

To assist with UCSF sustainability goals, the PPE program and freeing up precious work/storage space, please bring in any extra lab coats that may have accumulated in your workspaces. If there are extra lab coats from researchers who have left the university, please drop these off in one of our laundry bins. 

ChemCentral Lab Coat Distribution Locations

ChemCentral lab coat services are for UCSF Campus employees only 

Mission Bay Campus: Byers Hall Room 119  

Parnassus Campus: Health Sciences East (HSE) Room 310 

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Campus: Pride Hall Room 2551 (UCSF Campus employees only) 

Mount Zion Cancer Research Building: S311 Mail Room 

For MLK building/CHORI occupants, please contact [email protected] for information on lab coat services.

Lab Coat Types and Sizing

Cal OSHA Title 8 Section 3380 requires the employer to select PPE that properly fits each employee. It is important to obtain lab coats that are comfortable and well fitting. Size selection is critical to ensure proper range of motion and flexibility. Your lab coat must not be too tight or too restrictive and it needs to cover exposed parts of your body. 

LHAT will provide a PPE voucher that specifies what type of lab coat is needed for your specific research group. Use the size guides below to determine size prior to arriving at ChemCentral. 

Additional Information: 

ChemCentral does not sell or provide protective gloves, but gloves are required for most types of research at UCSF. Gloves and specialized PPE (i.e. splash aprons, cryogenic gloves, face shields) can be purchased through BearBuy 

For information regarding glove and eyewear selection, PPE safety, PPE related regulations, LHAT, when/how to dispose of a contaminated lab coat and more, please visit the EH&S PPE website. 

How are coats washed? 

All lab coats are professionally laundered. The washing consists of several different cycles; the main cycles use 140-145° F water at 60-120 RPM, treated with Advacare Disinfectant. Total wash time is about 30 minutes. For more specific information contact [email protected]. 

If you have questions or would like additional information on how to obtain PPE, please contact ChemCentral ([email protected]) 

 

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Have ChemCentral questions?

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