Chapter 7
Personal
Hygiene
By the end of this chapter,
you will be able to:
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Explain how to cleanse your
hands following the seven-step
best practice hand-hygiene
technique
Describe cleanroom
clothing requirements
Explain the importance of
finger dab tests
Introduction
Everything we do in a clean room should help
to avoid contamination of the final product.
Other chapters will explain how we can do
this through following SOPs, using the correct
aseptic technique, and working in a properly
controlled environment. This chapter looks at
how humans can contaminate the clean room
environment, and the steps we need to take
to control and prevent contamination through
good personal hygiene both in and out of the
work environment.
List the do’s and don’ts of clean
room hygiene and actions
Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Aseptic Processing
Human Contamination
Humans contribute the most contamination in
clean room environments.
Here are some simple steps you should take to
try to minimise avoidable contamination:
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Report any illness or skin problems,
respiratory infections and gastrointestinal
disorders to your manager.
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Cover all cuts and grazes with an
impervious plaster.
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Your personal hygiene is important, so take
a bath or shower, shave, brush teeth and
hair daily before you come to work.
Hands
Good Hand Hygiene is vitally important to
reduce contamination:
The average human sheds something like
1,000 bacteria carrying particles per minute!
As they are working, clean room operators
generate millions of particles with every
movement. Therefore we must make sure that
everybody follows Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs), to minimise the risks we pose.
Skin
Shedding of skin is a problem in the clean
room and dry and broken skin can shed even
more. You should be aware of good skin care
procedures. However, there is some debate
about the use of moisturisers as a potential
source of clean room contamination.
Body lotions and moisturisers are not sterile
and they can form a film over skin leading
to less penetration and efficiency of hand
disinfectants. Because of this, when you
apply moisturiser you should wash your hands
thoroughly afterwards.
It is better to apply body lotion/moisturisers
before you come to work; moisturisers should
not be applied at work either before or during
your shift.
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Hands and finger nails should always
be kept clean.
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Nail polish and false nails should not
be worn.
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Nails should be kept short and well
maintained.
Hand washing Technique
Not only do your nails and hands have to
be clean and well cared for but your hand
washing technique is critical.
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
Here are seven steps for best practice hand
washing technique:
5. Rotate around thumbs
1. Palm-to palm
6. Fingertips to palm
2. Back of hands, interlacing fingers
7. Wrists
3. Front of hands, interlacing fingers
As a guide you should carry out approximately
six repetitions of each stage of the process.
Each step should be performed for 15-30
seconds. Hand washing should take two – three
minutes to complete when done properly.
A video on best practice may also be viewed.
Please go to http://www.medslearning.leeds.
ac.uk/pages/aseptics/videos.html to view video
number 2 Hand washing Technique.
4. Clasping fingers
Remember: Good hand washing technique
should still apply outside the clean room
environment.
Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Aseptic Processing
Test Yourself
Good hand hygiene – Fill in the blanks in the following sentences:
………….....................…. and ………….....................…. should always be kept clean.
………….....................…. and ………….....................…. should not be worn.
………….....................…. should be kept short and well maintained.
Personnel Testing
Hand washing Testing
Training
Hand washing practice should be validated by
performing ungloved finger dabs on Tryptone
Soya Agar (TSA) plates.
Initial training is undertaken by all potential
operators to enable them to work effectively
in all areas of the facility. Staff are expected
to undertake an evaluation test both initially
and at a designated frequency to check their
aseptic technique to ensure their working
practices do not contaminate the products.
Finger Dabs
During training finger dabs are carried out by
all operators both before and after a working
session.
The un-gloved “before” dabs assess hand
washing techniques to ensure all dirt and
bacteria are removed when scrubbing up.
After preparation, gloved finger dabs may be
performed, as shown here.
The gloved “after” dabs assess operator
technique and bioburden of products.
The “after” dabs should be bacteria free.
If bacteria are present, this could be due to
poor operator technique or poor spraying
practices when bacteria are still present on
the outer surface of bottles and containers or
sundries which may have been passed into the
LAFC or isolator.
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
As on this illustration this plate shows mould
and skin flora growth on a TSA plate.
These gloved finger dabs were taken outside
the clean room. We would not expect to see
this type of result on any finger dabs test taken
inside the clean environment.
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
Another method of testing handwashing
technique is to use a UV light box and special
revealing cream can be used to illustrate the
effectiveness of hand washing.
The cream is applied to hands, washed off,
and then hands are inspected in the UV light
box for residue.
You can see large areas here that have
been missed.
Test Yourself
Can you remember the different types of finger dabs taken?
List them, and explain why they are taken.
Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Aseptic Processing
General Hygiene
Clothing
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Outside shoes should not be brought into
the clean room. If you haven’t a separate
pair of cleanroom shoes then make
sure the soles of your shoes are clean.
Overshoes should also be worn.
You should always wear clean garments
under your clean room clothes.
Only approved clean room clothing is allowed
in the clean room.
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Personal mobile phones should
not be taken into the clean room.
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Matches are not to be taken in to
the clean room.
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Brush or comb hair before
coming to work as brushing
hair, even in the gowning area,
can cause contamination. Do
not brush or comb hair in the clean room!
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Avoid rubbing or scratching
your hands. Also avoid touching
masks, glasses, skin or clean
room clothing wherever possible.
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Talk at a modest volume and
keep talking to a minimum.
Do not sing or whistle.
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Facial tissues are prohibited
in the clean room.
Jewellery
Jewellery should not be worn.
False Nails
False nails must not be worn
Make up and hair products
You must not wear make-up, hair gels and hair
sprays in the clean room.
This is because they can generate
many particles. Not only this,
but they also release substances
such as aluminium, silicone,
carbon, titanium, magnesium,
potassium, sulphur and calcium, making them
a major source of potential contamination.
Information: Spore formation by bacteria
requires the presence of calcium and
magnesium ions, which are both found in
cosmetics and hair products.
Other Rules for Good Hygiene
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Eating and chewing are not
allowed in the clean room.
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Smoking is not allowed on
the premises and tobacco
must not be taken in to the
unit either.
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Leave keys in your locker.
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
Clean Room Clothing
The main function of cleanroom clothing
is to protect the product being made from
contamination. It is specially designed to provide
head-to-toe cover with minimal chance of warm
air aspirates reaching the room or products.
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
The clothing must always be worn when
working in cleanrooms and should not be worn
outside the cleanroom or changing rooms.
Keeping your clean room clothes clean as
you put them on is the key to avoiding any
contamination. Remember to touch the
insides of the clothes only, and if you do touch
the outside to adjust, make sure you have
disinfected your hands first.
Garments should be fastened up at all times
and should not be loosened or unfastened
during operation. Garments should be
checked for wear or damage. Gloves should be
regularly disinfected and torn gloves should be
changed as soon as possible.
Lancer Coats
There is a video available to watch on the
correct procedures for putting on cleanroom
clothing. Please go to:
http://www.medslearning.leeds.ac.uk/pages/
aseptics/videos.html to view video number 3
Putting on Cleanroom Clothing.
The type of clean room garment required is
dependant on the classification (or ‘grade’)
of the room you are working within.
Here are some different examples:
Images supplied by Micronclean
Hoods, boots and suit
Further information on cleanroom clothing
is available in a handbook from Micronclean
called Garment Management for Controlled
Environments: An Introduction
www.micronclean.co.uk
Undergarments
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Aseptic Processing
Task
Find out the types of clean room clothing required for each different grade of room in your work
place. Discuss with your trainer/supervisor.
List them below, with the room type and explain why they are necessary
Clean room
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
Grade
Clothing worn
Reason
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
Gloves
Dropped Items
When putting on sterile gloves:
If you drop an item on the floor during the
manufacturing process, leave it until the end
of the session. If you do have to pick anything
up from the floor, consumable items should
be discarded or disinfected according to your
local procedure.
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Remember not to touch the exterior surface
of the gloves.
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Touch the inside of the glove to hold and
pull onto hands.
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Leave the cuffs folded down until both
gloves are on.
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Pull up folded cuffs over garment cuffs.
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Leave the inner packaging on the bench
until you exit the clean room.
Important: Change your gloves immediately in
the changing area after picking up any item up.
Your gloves should remain intact throughout
the session and you should inspect them
constantly during aseptic processing to check
for holes. If you find a hole, change them
immediately following your local SOP.
Gloves should be cleaned regularly, and
always between products. If you remove your
hands from the critical zone, your gloves
should be cleaned before re-entering the LAFC
or isolator.
Videos on gloving technique (non-sterile
and sterile gloves) are available to view.
Please go to: http://www.medslearning.leeds.
ac.uk/pages/aseptics/videos.html to view
video number 4 Gloving Technique-Non
sterile Gloves and video number 5 Gloving
Technique-Sterile Gloves.
Important: Whenever gloves are removed
hands must be immediately disinfected as
bacteria will have moved to the surface of your
hands under your gloves.
Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Aseptic Processing
Activity
Make sure you watch the following videos at the location below
http://www.medslearning.leeds.ac.uk/pages/aseptics/videos.html
and then refer to your local procedures:
Hand Washing Technique
video 2
Putting on Clean Room Clothing video 3
Gloving Technique- Non Sterile Gloves
video 4
Gloving Technique- Sterile Gloves video 5
If there are any variations in your local procedures, make a note of them below.
Hand Washing:
Putting on Clean Room Clothing:
Gloving Technique – Non Sterile Gloves:
Gloving Technique – Sterile Gloves:
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
Questions
Q1
What actions should you take to minimise the risk of contamination in each of the
following situations?
a) If you have a cut or a scratch?
b) If you have a stomach upset?
c) If you have a cold?
(3)
Q2
Why should you not apply moisturiser before entering the clean room?
(3)
Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
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Aseptic Processing
Q3
What are the rules for wearing of makeup, false nails and jewellery in the clean room,
and why are these rules in place?
(6)
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene
Chapter 7
Personal Hygiene
Q4
List the seven stages of hand washing. How many repetitions should you make at
each stage?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Number of repetitions of each stage: ..............
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Aseptic Processing
Q5
List 6 items that you must not take into a clean room.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Chapter 7: Personal Hygiene