Why wearing uniforms outside practice is an infection-control risk

A Vet Times opinion piece is making a familiar but still unevenly adopted infection-control point: veterinary uniforms should stay in the practice, not travel with staff to shops, pubs, or human healthcare settings. Jane Davidson argues that changing into and out of workwear on site should be part of a broader, multimodal infection-control approach, alongside hand hygiene, appropriate PPE, and professional presentation. That view lines up with guidance cited across veterinary and human healthcare: RCVS Knowledge says uniforms or clothes worn only for work are “highly recommended” on site and “should only be worn on site and not when travelling to and from home,” while the British Veterinary Nursing Association similarly advises teams not to wear uniforms or scrubs to and from work. (vettimes.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about dress code than risk management and culture. Infection-control literature in veterinary settings consistently treats dedicated clothing, gowns, and other barriers as part of reducing contamination and cross-transmission, especially when staff may encounter feces, urine, respiratory secretions, wound discharge, or other infectious material. Human healthcare policy offers a practical model: Wales’ NHS dress code says staff should remove uniforms on site where changing facilities exist and, if laundering at home is necessary, transport items in a bag and wash them at the hottest temperature suitable for the fabric, noting that 10 minutes at 60°C removes most microorganisms. (knowledge.rcvs.org.uk)

What to watch: Expect more practices to formalize written uniform and laundering policies as part of wider IPC and antimicrobial stewardship programs. (academic.oup.com)