Whenever possible, suitable gloves should be worn when handling bio-hazardous materials. However, this does not replace the need for regular and proper hand-washing by laboratory personnel. Hands must be washed after handling bio-hazardous materials and animals, and before leaving the laboratory.
In most situations, thorough washing of hands with ordinary soap and water is sufficient to decontaminate them, but the use of germicidal soaps is recommended in high-risk situations. Hands should be thoroughly lathered with soap, using friction, for at least 10 s, rinsed in clean water and dried using a clean paper or cloth towel (if available, warm-air hand-dryers may be used). Foot- or elbow-operated faucets are recommended. Where not fitted, a paper/cloth towel should be used to turn off the faucet handles to avoid re- contaminating washed hands.
As mentioned above, alcohol-based hand-rubs may be used to decontaminate lightly soiled hands when proper hand-washing is not available.