We provide lab coats - to be worn in the lab only. People change before they
go on break or lunch.  Coats are laundered by our service. It's rare if they
get taken home.


Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta
404-851-7376
404-851-7831 - fax

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Horn, Hazel V [mailto:HornHV@archildrens.org] 
Sent:	Sunday, January 26, 2003 4:05 PM
To:	'histonet'
Subject:	lab coats

Do your hospital/lab furnish lab coats to employees?  Do they go to a
laundry for cleaning? or Do employees take them home and wash them?
Do employees return the coats when they quit?   Are the employees made to
pay for lost coats?   Or do you use disposable coats?

At our hospital, we furnish 3 lab coats to employees.   They are sent to the
laundry for cleaning.    We have a difficult time with coats being lost or
taken and our lab ends up paying for these coats.  I have 100 employees to
manage for lab coats and it is often a nightmare.   The employee will insist
the coat was by the cleaners, the cleaners says the coats were taken home.
I am sure that both situations do happen.  Some get lost by the cleaners and
some are taken home.

Just curious what other labs do.
Thanks for your insight.
Hazel