• Question: Do you wear hazmat suits

    Asked by anon-346848 on 13 Jan 2023.
    • Photo: Lorna Dawson

      Lorna Dawson answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      You wear the appropriate PPE for each situation. Hazard suits are worn where there may be a CBRN type of incident. Protective clothing is worn to avoid contamination of the scene or the evidence but also for your own Health and Safety.

    • Photo: Shelina Jilani

      Shelina Jilani answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      No, I do not. My attire has to be smart though, especially when testifying in court.

    • Photo: Sue Black

      Sue Black answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      When necessary. Yes we do but it is rare. It is more common for us to use the usual crime scene overalls.

    • Photo: Caroline Wilkinson

      Caroline Wilkinson answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      Not necessary for our work.

    • Photo: Richard Case

      Richard Case answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      Thankfully I have only wore a hazmat suit in a simulation.

      Standard Crime Scene PPE is sufficient in most cases

    • Photo: Katy Bruce

      Katy Bruce answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      As the other scientists have already said, you would only need a proper hazmat suit when dealing with hazardous materials, which thankfully I don’t. As a CSI you would be expected to wear a “noddy” suit and full, relevant PPE. Perhaps this was what you were thinking of? The two suits sometimes get confused with each other… In my role, however, a lab coat, googles and gloves are sufficient 🙂

    • Photo: Kate Barnes

      Kate Barnes answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      I tend to wear smart casual clothes when I am teaching and then something comfortable and weather appropriate when I am doing field or site work. If I am working in the laboratory, then I will wear my lab coat and sometimes gloves. If I am at a scene then I will wear a mask and gloves. I have not dealt with a situation where I need to wear a hazmat suit thankfully.

    • Photo: Prof. W Meier-Augenstein

      Prof. W Meier-Augenstein answered on 13 Jan 2023:

      Not all the time, only when required. For example, when we prepare bone samples for analysis a protective suit must be worn including respirator, face shield, and acid-proof gloves.

    • Photo: Charlie Frowd

      Charlie Frowd answered on 14 Jan 2023:

      Good morning

      Thank you for your question. When I studied to do a degree in Engineering, I did wear a hazmat suit. It wasn’t actually that bad. I was working in a clean room that was temperature controlled, and you learn to work using them. Their use is obviously important at scenes of crime, to make sure that, as an investigator, no new substances (such as hairs, fibres, cells, etc.) are introduced.

      With best regards

      Charlie.

    • Photo: Lorna Nisbet

      Lorna Nisbet answered on 18 Jan 2023:

      We do not wear hazmat suits in the laboratory, however we will use respirators if we are working with compounds such as carfentanyl.

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