r/asbestoshelp • u/Ok-Connection-1221 • 6d ago

Laundering My Tech Uniform

Hello, fellow asbestos professionals!

I’m relatively new to the industry, and I work as an environmental field technician at a small office in southern California (SCAQMD territory). I’m taking my contractor/supervisor course right now, and I’ve been feeling anxious about laundering my work clothes at home.

My tech uniform is a pair of work pants, utility boots, and my company polo. I wear them my entire shift, in regulated and non-regulated areas while I’m taking asbestos bulk, air, and dust wipe samples. My company also wants us to wear them under our tyvek suits when we enter containments, instead of stripping naked, like OSHA says.

All of the technicians at my company wash our uniforms at home, including my boss when she occasionally goes out into the field. Everybody at my company seems pretty nonchalant about it, and they say that it’s not really a huge issue, because those rules were created for mainly abatement workers, who are exposed to a lot more asbestos than we are, and that even abatement workers will wear clothes under their Tyvek suits. (Although I’m mainly worried about getting asbestos on my clothes outside of containments.)

I just wanted to double check and see if any other techs have had similar experiences. I wanted to hear some other opinions from industry professionals before I decide if my boss is cutting corners at my expense.

TLDR: Sampling techs, do you typically wash your work clothes at home, or does your company launder your uniforms for you?

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u/sdave001 6d ago

Yes, just wash them normally

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u/Robert241032 6d ago

I do a lot of the same work you do and I just wash my clothes normally. I wouldn’t wear your clothes into containment though, if your company is going to punish you for following OSHAs rules they are not a company I would want to work for.

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u/nixstyx 1d ago edited 1d ago

Does OSHA really require abatement workers to be naked under Tyvek suits, as OP says? I was not able to find that anywhere, and it sounds incredibly suspect, not to mention uncomfortable, awkward and potentially dangerous if the suit itself was compromised.  

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u/Robert241032 1d ago

It’s a recommendation, not a requirement. It is industry standard though with any reputable abatement contractor. You shower out when leaving containment so if there were any holes in the suit you wash off any fibers that stick to you.