Uniform & Dress Code Policy

All Halton Healthcare Services employees, volunteers and physicians will maintain a professional, well groomed appearance at work. Clothing and grooming of all personnel should contribute to a positive impression of the Hospital while maintaining safety standards and adhering to the following principles:

• Dress to prevent the spread of infection to others
• Incorporate occupational health and safety recommendations for appropriate attire while in the hospital clinic setting
• Dress in such a way that work can be completed efficiently
• Dress appropriate to the clinical work situation while recognizing cultural norms and religious requirements
• Dress to portray a competent professional image through workplace attire

The manager/supervisor will discuss the uniform and dress code policy with new employees at the time of hire; The Chief of Staff with physicians during the initial credentialing process.

Managers and supervisors are responsible for monitoring and reinforcing the uniform and dress code.

Uniform & Dress Code Procedure

General Dress Code

• Hospital name badges are to be worn by all healthcare providers, in accordance with the Hospital ID badge policy.
• Clothing of all staff and volunteers should be clean and presentable at all times. Casual apparel, i.e. "'business casual" is permitted throughout the summer (May, June, July and August) and on Fridays year round; however, a professional image should always be maintained. In determining the guidelines for business casual, the following are examples of items that are not acceptable at any time including "casual Fridays". If approved for wear in a department, jeans must be clean and in good repair. Halter tops, low cut tops either front or back, flip flops and shorts, other than walking shorts, pants with very low rise, are not permitted. Professional and technical staff are to wear uniforms suitable to their profession. In addition clothing or accessories that demonstrate a personal point of view or that have illicit, profane, suggestive, biased, sexually related, a!eohol related or tobacco related text graphics or logos are not permitted.
• Personal hygiene must be maintained. Excessive use of make-up is discouraged. If an employee has or wears long hair, loose clothing or jewelry that may present a hazard, it shall be suitably confined. Jewelry such as rings and bracelets hinder the effectiveness of hand hygiene and increase the risk of glove tears and should not be worn for patient contact.
• Healthcare providers, volunteers and physicians must maintain clean, neat and tidy finger nails to facilitate effective hand hygiene in the workplace. Artificial nails or nail enhancements are not to be worn by those giving patient care as they are implicated in the transfer of microorganisms.
• The Hospital reserves the right to ask any employee or volunteer improperly dressed to go home, change clothing and return to work with loss of pay for time absent from work, if applicable.
• All employees and volunteers must conform to the uniform regulations of their departments and wear designated uni forms and/or lab coats.
• The Hospital will supply the following with uniforms: Housekeeping, Food Services, Environmental Services, Purchasing, and ShippingfReceiving. Employees are responsible for laundering and maintaining their uniforms.
• The Hospital makes scrub suits available for Physicians in the OR, Birthing Suite and GI and for the staff in the CSR, OR, PACU, Autopsy Suite, Birthing Suite and the Nursery only.
• Scrubs are not made of a liquid resistant material and, therefore may not provide staff with adequate protection from blood and body nuid exposure.
• If staff require personal protective equipment to prevent soiling of their clothing from blood or body nuids their manager/ the Hospital must provide them with the appropriate personal protective equipment, in accordance with the Public Health Agency of Canada Infection Control Guidelines for Routine Practices and Additional Precautions
• All Hospital issued scrub suits must be changed into at the beginning of a shift and out of at the end of a shift.
• All Hospital issued scrub suits are the property of Halton Healthcare Services and therefore are not to be taken home.
• The scrub suits issued in these areas must be laundered by the Hospital
• Yellow isolation gowns and other typcs of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks are to be worn for the purpose of adhering to Routine Practices and additional precautions and must be removed and discardcd prior to exiting a procedure or patient room. Refer to HHS Infection Control policies on HOPP "Routine Practices and Additional Practices for Airborne, Contact and Droplet Precautions".
• Washable sweaters, vests, jackets or personal lab coats may be worn to provide additional warmth and should be laundered regularly.
• Lab coats are provided to laboratory and nuclear cardiology staff. They are laundered by the Hospital.
• Uniforms for volunteers are provided by the Hospital Auxiliary. Volunteers are responsible for laundering and maintaining their uniforms.
• Hospital apparel, such as scrub suits, is not to be provided to persons unaffiliated with Halton Healthcare Services.
• Professional and technical staff will launder and maintain their own uniforms.
• The Hospital will provide protective clothing if required by employees or volunteers.
• Reference should also be made to the Occupational Health and Safety polices regarding the use of scented products.

Footwear

Where hazards exist in the workplace that could result in a foot injury, or contribute to a hazardous circumstance, appropriate footwear must be worn to protect the employee. The Occupational Health and Safety Act and Health Care Regulations states: "if a worker is exposed to the hazard of a foot injury, the worker shall wear foot protection appropriate in the circumstances; and to the hazard of slipping on a work surface, the worker shall wear footwear with slip resistant soles."

Listed below is the approved footwear based on location.

Direct patient care areas (including day clinics) and areas where there are biological, chemical and physical hazards (including laboratories), employees must wear shoes that meet the following criteria:

• Closed toe and closed heel with a solid upper covering (no holes on the top or side of the shoe)
• Low to medium heel (112 - 1-112 inches)
• Flexible non-slip soles
• Sturdy Construction
• Shoes must be maintained in good repair
• Soft soled shoes are required by all clinical staff on patient care units

For employees working in clerical or office areas, shoes must have the following:

• Maximum heel height 2- I /2 inches
• Sturdy construction
• Flexible non-slip soles
• Shoes must be maintained in good repair

All employees working in Environmental Services (Maintenance), Stores, Shipping/Receiving must wear footwear that meets the following:

• Appropriate CSA approved footwear based on the hazards.
• An annual reimbursement of $80 for full time employees and $45 for regular part time employees will be made for "safety" shoes or boots only, upon presentation ofa receipt.

In non-clinical areas, if a Department Managers/Supervisor is uncertain of appropriate footwear in their area, they may obtain guidance from the Occupational Health & Safety Department. Attached is a flow chart to assist in making the appropriate footwear detemlination.

Policy Reviewed By/In Consultation with:

• Infection Prevention and Control Service
• Patient Care Management Team