Is wearing an ambulance work outfit compulsory?

What are the regulations around the professional attire of a paramedic?

The law on the uniform of medical transport service providers is put into effect by means of annex 6 of the Order of February 10, 2009. The section sets the requirements for ground vehicles and medical transport personnel. This legislation excludes the SMUR team who work in vehicles of categories A, B, C and D. The conditions for choosing professional attire must follow established criteria for the public and private sectors. These outfits must ensure visibility, safety and comfort.

Common conditions of the uniform

The professional paramedic attire is governed by the legislation in force . In addition, the dominant color of work clothes is blue, even if some service providers have kept white. Then, the uniform of ambulance personnel generally consists of a top and matching pants. disposable gloves and safety shoes complete this set to guarantee biological safety.

Other things to remember about the paramedic uniform include:

• The paramedic's clothing is provided by the employer;
• The company crest must be visible on the uniform;
• The garments comply with EN 471, EN 342 and EN 343 for day and night safety;
• The uniform must be washed on a regular cycle and disinfected at the expense of the employer;
• For patient hygiene, two interchangeable uniforms must be made available to staff;
• Staff don their uniforms only when working.

Expectations related to this work outfit

Like most professional clothing, the uniform of ambulance personnel was put in place for various reasons. While leaving the type of top up to private providers, a paramedic's work attire is chosen as part of the activity.

To become a piece of distinction

The paramedic is one of the health personnel who is first confronted with patients. They must be able to identify them. In the public service sector, each profession is linked to an easily recognizable color. Firefighters wear yellow, public area maintenance staff wear green, and paramedics wear blue.

For a private sector medical transport company, standardization of dress conveys the image of the brand. In addition, wearing the uniform during the working hours of the paramedics marks the professionalism of the company.

To guarantee the hygiene of staff and patients

The transport of an infectious patient is a fairly common scenario in the ambulance profession. This means that the wearing of suitable professional attire is necessary. Indeed, thanks to a uniform worn only during working hours, paramedics limit the risk of infection by removing it once outside their workplaces. The prevention of bacteriological transmission is thus the reason why the paramedic outfit is only useful during working hours.

For patient hygiene, employers of paramedics must provide a spare uniform for staff. In this way, in the event of soiling by blood or other bodily fluids, the medical transport personnel change their clothes for clean ones and do not transport the microbes from patient to patient.

For the safety of the night shift

The profession of paramedic includes night interventions. retro-reflective strips must be visible on high-visibility paramedic jackets or the jackets of the paramedic who work in the evening. This fluorescent detail is one of the common conditions for night intervention team outfits. Any employee working at night is under the responsibility of his employer, who must provide him with safe work clothes adapted to the context of the activity carried out.