I got a chance to show off one of my white suits at the recent mini-forum meeting in Rhinebeck the other day. See photos. The earlier photos were taken in 1996 in the Florida Everglades while investigating the crash of ValuJet Flt 592.
The purpose of the suit is to provide protections against blood borne pathogens such as aids and especially hepatitis. All on-scene accident investigators are required to wear these while working with air accidents for the approximately two week life of such pathogens. All of us are required to take refresher courses in protecting ourselves from blood borne pathogens and are not allowed on a crash site without such equipment. The idea is to seal your body cuts as best possible from the entrance of possible pathogens. This includes sealing your hands and feet with protective gloves and tape as well as wearing head coverings and full face masks. This is definitely not comfortable to work in this environment especially when you begin to perspire in the heat.
In many accidents, after a few days you begin to see some walking around with unsealed gloves as well as open faces, but we should be aware that we are even more at risk for some long lived pathogens when the wreckage has dried and a seat cushion could easily put out a puff of pathogens when stepped upon.
In the crash in the everglades we, the unclean, were not allowed to return from the crash site and interact with support folks on the dry land before we were detoxed with baths of chlorine before we were allowed to cross the police line back into normal civilization, see photo.
Al-14
Here I was elected to sit in the front chair while the driver sat above me and was directed by the 3rd passenger above him via a map on the back of my white suit. This map was created using a black marking pen as shown in a video and the photo
Al-11
Well after all these years the suit showed up once again when I rummaged through one of my crash bags of tools and I wore it to our meeting in Rhinebeck
