‘That seems insane’: Woman eager to donate plasma gets strange request from employee. Then questions if policy is reasonable

A woman who was eager to donate plasma took to TikTok when she was asked to take off her headscarf before the procedure. Her post demanded answers, but as strange as it seems, there was a reasonable explanation: The plasma donation center employees were just following the rules.

According to Justkricky’s post, she was told she needed an “exact accurate height” in her photo so he’d have to take off the head scarf, even though, as Justkricky points out in her post, her head scarf was very thin. Justkricky complied, but didn’t appreciate how the plasma donation center employee “proceeded to tell her coworker” about how she was uncomfortable removing it. Justkricky captioned her post, “I feel like I should have left. I don’t think I will be doing it again.”

The plasma donation center was just following the rules

So, what happened? A Justkricky comment has the answer. It read, “Former AM at a plasma center. No hats or head scarves can be in the picture UNLESS it’s for religious reasoning. I wouldn’t be mad at the employee, I’ve had to fire someone for not following SOP [standard of practice] b4.” Another added, “SOPs are the very strict rules that have to be followed at plasma Centers. removing hats, scarfs, sunglasses etc., are a part of SOPs.”

While specific policies on removing hats and headscarves during plasma donation can vary by center, general practices are guided by considerations for identity verification, medical safety, and equipment operation.

Donors need to match their ID photo for proper identification, and headwear can make that difficult. This helps prevent fraud and ensures the correct medical history is linked to the right person. Furthermore, staff need a clear view of the donor’s face to monitor for signs of distress, like paleness, sweating, or other symptoms of a reaction.

And finally, some centers may have equipment like machines with moving parts, where loose clothing or head coverings could pose a risk.

However, donation centers typically strive to accommodate religious or medical head coverings, provided they do not impede the donation process or safety protocols. For instance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notes that accommodations for religious attire should be made unless they cause undue hardship or compromise safety.

A little explanation might have helped

Justkricky never says her headscarf has religious significance. And to be fair, the plasma donation center employee could have explained the reason why the headscarf needed to be removed, or asked if she wore it for a religious reason.

Insofar as Ricky’s comments are concerned, the policy has created problems before. One said, “I’m interested in the answer to this. It looks like in 2013 there was a muslim women who went through the same thing and donation centers across the same state weren’t consistent.” To that point, another added, “Worked at a plasma center in south Florida never heard of that unless it was covering the arm, you can even cover [your] face.”