Every time a care worker reaches for gloves, a mask or a gown at the bedside, the right supply needs to be there in the right size. For directors of care, nursing leads and procurement staff in long-term care (LTC), a consistent point-of-care PPE station is one of the simplest infection control safeguards a home can standardize. This checklist covers what belongs at each station, how much to keep on hand, and who keeps it stocked.
Quick Facts
- A PPE station keeps routine and precaution supplies within arm's reach of each resident room.
- Stock gloves in every size from small to extra-large.
- Keep 1-2 boxes of each glove size per station as a starting par level.
- Assign one restock owner per shift.
- Rotate stock weekly so older boxes are used first.
- Store PPE away from heat, direct sun and moisture.
What belongs at a point-of-care PPE station?
Every station needs all of the following, from hallways outside resident rooms to medication carts.
- Gloves in sizes S, M, L and XL - the item staff reach for most.
- Isolation gowns - wherever contact precautions are posted.
- Procedure masks - a full open box, not loose handfuls.
- Eye protection - for tasks where splashing is possible.
- Alcohol-based hand rub - at the station, not just the sink.
- A lined waste bin - placed so gloves come off over it.
- Donning signage - gown, mask, eye protection, gloves.
Gloves: every size, within reach
A station with one glove size forces bad choices: ill-fitting gloves, double-gloving out of worry, or a walk to another unit mid-task. Keep an open box of each size at every station and refill from central storage. Many Canadian homes standardize on blue 4-mil nitrile exam gloves.
Isolation gowns for contact precautions
Gowns protect the uniform and skin from the resident's environment, and they go on for each entry under contact precautions. Choose the level through your facility's infection control assessment; a Level 2 gown such as the CliniEco SMMS 40gsm Level 2 isolation gown suits routine contact precautions in Canadian care settings. Stock extra gowns on units under outbreak precautions.
Masks and eye protection
Keep a full box of 3-ply procedure masks at each station for routine care and droplet precautions. Add face shields or goggles where splashing of blood or body fluids is possible, such as wound care or oral care, and clean reusable eye protection between residents.
Hand rub, waste bin and signage
Hand hygiene happens before donning and after doffing, so the hand rub belongs at the station. Set the waste bin near the doorway so used PPE is discarded before leaving the area, and post the donning order at eye level with room for the restock owner's name.
How do you set par levels for a PPE station?
A par level is the minimum a station should hold at shift start. Use the table below as a starting point, then adjust it to your units.
| Item | Starting par per station | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrile gloves, sizes S-XL | 1-2 boxes each | Adjust to task mix and resident needs |
| Isolation gowns | 10-25 gowns | Increase on contact precaution units and during outbreaks |
| Procedure masks | 25-50 | Store the rest of the box centrally |
| Eye protection | 2-4 reusable | Clean after each use |
| Alcohol-based hand rub | 1-2 refills | Check at the daily station pass |
| Waste bin liners | 5-10 | Keep spares at the base of the bin |
Par levels also curb hoarding: staff who trust a station will be refilled leave the gloves where they belong.
How often should PPE stations be checked and rotated?
Daily: the restock owner's pass
Assign one restock owner per shift, usually the charge nurse or team lead. At the start of the shift they bring every station up to par, remove damaged boxes, wipe the shelf and confirm the bin and signage, then sign off at handover.
Weekly: expiry rotation
Once a week, pull older boxes to the front, move short-dated product to a marked use-first spot and remove anything expired. Boxes that sit untouched at the back of a cupboard are how expired stock finds its way into use.
Storage: keep PPE away from heat
Heat, humidity and direct sun degrade glove and mask materials long before their expiry date. Keep reserves cool and dry in original boxes, never above a radiator or in a sunny window. Pull any box that is crushed, wet or overheated.
What does PHAC routine practices require for PPE?
In Canada, the national reference is PHAC's Routine Practices and Additional Precautions in Canadian Health Care, which frames PPE use around a point-of-care risk assessment: the worker weighs the task, resident status and exposure risk, then picks the protection that fits. Provincial and territorial LTC programs build on this foundation, so follow those that apply to your home. A stocked station puts the recommended items where that assessment happens.
What PPE does a medical clinic in Canada need to stock?
Five categories, at every point of care: nitrile gloves in each size your staff use, a procedure or ASTM-rated mask matched to the task, eye protection where splash is possible, a fluid-resistant isolation gown for contact precautions, and hand rub at the station itself. Selection is driven by a point-of-care risk assessment rather than a fixed national list — PHAC's Routine Practices and Additional Precautions in Canadian Health Care frames the decision that way, and provincial long-term care programs build on that foundation.
| Situation at the point of care | Protection the risk assessment calls for |
|---|---|
| Routine care at a stocked station | Gloves in the size the task needs, with alcohol-based hand rub at the station rather than only at the sink |
| Contact precautions posted | An isolation gown for each entry, at the level your facility's infection control assessment selects |
| Droplet precautions, or routine care where splashing is possible | A procedure mask; add a face shield or goggles where blood or body fluids could splash |
| Wound care or oral care | Eye protection, cleaned between residents where it is reusable |
| Any task that generates used PPE | Gloves come off over the lined waste bin before leaving the area, then hand hygiene |
What makes a list usable is a number beside each line. A working station in a Canadian LTC home typically holds one or two open boxes of each glove size, one box of masks, one package of gowns and wall-mounted hand rub, with reserve stock kept in one cool, dry place. The range we stock matches that pattern: 4-mil nitrile examination gloves, SMMS Level 2 isolation gowns and 3-ply procedure masks, sized for stations that are restocked weekly rather than daily. Homes standardising several units can request a bulk quote and set the same par level on every floor. Sites that also run an in-house sterilizer for reusable instruments can add the BI 5-pack trial for the monitoring side of that workflow.
The part that makes the list usable as printed: what turns a PPE list into a station that is actually stocked is a number beside each line — one or two open boxes of each glove size, one box of procedure masks, 10 to 25 gowns, two to four reusable eye protectors, one to two hand rub refills and five to ten liners, all held at the point of care rather than in central stores. Which item is worn for which task is driven by a point-of-care risk assessment, as set out in PHAC's Routine Practices and Additional Precautions in Canadian Health Care and the provincial programs built on it, not by a fixed national list. The five categories and the par table above are written to be used as printed at the station, so the restock pass at shift start is a two-minute check rather than a judgement call.
Related Reading
- Long-term care supplies for Canadian homes
- How many gloves does a clinic use monthly? A benchmark model
- Gloves and wipes in veterinary herd health
- 3-ply procedure masks, 50-pack clinic pack
- Barbershop Hygiene Routines: Gloves, Masks and Surface Sanitizing
- long-term care supplies
Frequently Asked Questions
How many boxes of gloves should each PPE station hold?
Start with one or two open boxes of each size per station, and expect a busy unit to use more medium and large than small. Watch two weeks of use, set the par to cover a full shift plus a buffer, then revisit the number after any change in resident census or outbreak status.
Who should be responsible for restocking PPE stations?
Name one owner per station, usually the nurse in charge for that shift, and put the restock pass at the start of the shift rather than the end. It is a two-minute check: confirm each glove size is present, pull anything wet, crushed or past expiry, and replenish from reserve stock.
Where should PPE be stored so it stays reliable?
Keep working stock at the station in original boxes and reserves in a cool, dry room. Avoid radiators, sunny windows and damp areas, since heat and humidity can degrade gloves and masks before their expiry date. Rotate weekly and pull any box that is damaged, wet or past expiry.
The station that passes this checklist at shift start is the one staff trust when they are in a hurry. Set the par, name the owner, rotate weekly and keep stock cool; the routine takes minutes a day and removes most of the reasons a worker reaches for PPE that is missing or expired. CliniEco carries 4-mil nitrile gloves, Level 2 isolation gowns and 3-ply procedure masks suited to point-of-care stations in Canadian LTC homes.
What PPE must a Canadian clinic have on hand?
Nitrile examination gloves in the sizes staff actually use, procedure or ASTM-rated masks matched to the task, eye protection where a splash is possible, fluid-resistant isolation gowns for contact precautions, and hand rub at the point of care. Which item is worn for which task comes from a point-of-care risk assessment, as set out in PHAC's Routine Practices and Additional Precautions in Canadian Health Care and the provincial programs built on it.
Last updated: September 15, 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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