In what case is the use of the overboots ?
Mandatory equipment in the clean room, the overboots are a must to avoid any contamination of a place barren by the feet. The choice of overboots and the protocol to use must meet certain standards to guarantee effectiveness. In what case is the use of the overboots ? Find the answer below.
When and where to use overboots ?
Also known as shoe covers, overboots that can be found at distributors such as Conformat, are slippers to put over shoes to isolate the latter. The port of overboots is a must in places sterile, commonly known as white rooms. The overboots clean room contribute to the preservation of the place as they wrap around the totality of footwear and therefore prevent particles that may be stuck spread.
The port of overboots is mandatory when one enters the clean rooms, and these last exist in various areas :
- The agri-food industries
- The sector of microelectronics
- The sectors automobiles
- The space-related industries
- Hospitals and health care facilities
In any case, the port of overboots complies with a specific protocol, and these accessories are donned before entering a clean room.
What kind of overboots to use ?
Given the challenges of clean rooms, the choice of overboots is important because poor quality products can call into question the sterility of the place. Thus, only the equipment distributed by licensed professionals is recommended. Several parameters must be strictly adhered to.
First, the overboots must cover the whole of the shoes, but not only the bottom portion. They must also be completely sealed to not allow to filter for any foreign particles. With an opening tightened by an elastic, they wrap themselves firmly in the shoes and are easy to put on, you wear shoes banal or shoes that are regulatory (e.g. laboratory)
Some overboots in white hall are also equipped with non-skid soles to ensure the comfort and safety of the user.
What is the impact without the overboots ?
Like all the equipment in the form of clothing intended to optimize the sterility of a white room, the overboots are used as the barrier for various components that may affect the sterility. We can therefore expect many serious impacts if introduced into a sterile area without overboots or with overboots that do not meet the standards.
In a hospital environment, the non-respect of the entry protocol in an operating room or other sterile area from contaminating the equipment and the environment. And here appear the nosocomial infections which are sometimes at the heart of lawsuits between patients and hospitals, as was the case for the hospital of Mayenne, recently condemned by the administrative tribunal of Nantes for damages amounting to 490 000€.
Moreover, the strict respect of the protocol on the port of overboots is vital in the space industry, including the factories of design of satellite. To ensure the absolute reliability and the service life of such material, all the parameters of infertility to know the temperature, the cleanliness (particulate, bacteriological and chemical), the pressure and the humidity must be respected. The port of overboots is therefore mandatory.
Overboots, sterile gloves, combinations, sterile, pad decontamination and many other equipments are compulsory for the clean rooms and any other place sterile. Many areas are affected by this sterility, and the wearing of these accessories is simply part of the protocol to follow to avoid any contamination.