Transcript Laboratory Safety

MLAB 2401: Clinical
Chemistry
Laboratory Safety and
Regulations
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Safety is……
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A combination of common sense, good behavior and
housekeeping
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Good personal behavior & habits such as professional conduct and appearance,
frequent hand washing, no eating, smoking, drinking, or application of makeup,
etc. in lab. Should also make yourself aware of emergency procedures / location
and proper use of emergency equipment and fire escape route.
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Good housekeeping - Laboratory cleanliness, properly labeled containers,
immediate appropriate cleanup of any spills, warning signs of potential danger
posted, etc.
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Good laboratory technique - carefully read all instructions and labels, do not
operate equipment until you are instructed and authorized to do so, always
respect the power of acids, bases and corrosive chemicals. Protect yourself with
PPDs and use proper eyewear protection devices.
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Safety Awareness
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Safety responsibility – shared responsibility
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Employer
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Employee
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Provide and supervise safety methods, equipment and policies
Understand and practice established safety procedures
Notify supervisors of unsafe conditions
Bottom line … Safety is everyone’s responsibility !!!
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Precautions
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No eating, drinking, application of personal
products, such as make-up or contact lenses in
lab area
Frequent handwashing
Follow Standard precautions at all times, treat all
specimens as if infectious
Never pipet by mouth
Properly dispose of wastes
Proper labeling and storage of supplies
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LABORATORY SAFETY
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Lab risks
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Electrical: fire and shock
Toxic vapors
Compressed gasses
Flammable liquids
Radioactive materials ( not too common these days )
Corrosives
Mechanical: moving machinery
Poisons
Biological: microbes, animals, plants and genetically modified agents
Ergonomic: standing, repetitive motion
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Regulatory Agencies for
Safety
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OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) 1970
 Federal law that mandates safe working conditions for workers
 OSHA may inspect work places for compliance with safety rules
 Programs developed by OSHA
 Standard 29: occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals
 Standard 29: Hazard Communication, including Right to Know
 Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
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Regulatory Agencies for
Safety
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CLSI (The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute)
 Infection control guidelines
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JCAHO/ TJC (The Joint Commission)
 Hospital accreditation
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CAP (College of American Pathologists)
 Laboratory accreditation
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CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Service
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SAFETY EQUIPTMENT
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Safety showers
Eyewash stations
Fire blankets
Fire extinguishers
Spill kits
First aid kits
Fume hoods
Biosafety hoods
Chemical storage cabinets
PPEs ( Personal Protective Equipment )
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CHEMICAL SAFETY
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Hazard Communication Standard (Right to Know Law)
 The lab, by law, must provide written policies for the safe use of hazardous
chemicals ( OSHA regulation )
 Intent to ensure all chemical health hazards are evaluated and information
presented to employees.
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Safety Data Sheet (SDS )
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A list of all safety information created by the manufacturer for each laboratory
reagent (biological or chemical)
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The lab is responsible to collect and make available MSDS information for all
reagents and chemicals
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An SDS lists general information, precautionary measures, and emergency
information.
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Employees must have ready access to SDS information
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Lab must have written Chemical Hygiene Plan that provides specific work practices
for hazardous chemicals
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Storage and Handling of Chemicals
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Different storage/handling requirements chemicals based on their
differing characteristics:
 Flammable/Combustible - classified according to flashpoint,
among the most dangerous in the lab.
 Corrosives – cause injury to eyes/skin, respiratory tract if contact
is made
 Reactives – under certain circumstances may react violently require special knowledge to prevent their contact with reaction
causing substances.
 Carcinogenic chemicals- been determined to cause cancer.
Benzidine is often used as example of lab chemical now
classified as carcinogen.
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Signage and Labeling of Chemicals
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Everything must be labeled !!!
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Hazardous material must
include all necessary safety
information
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Chemicals transferred
 Must be labeled with
identification or contents of
the chemical
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Chemical Safety
NFPA labeling system for hazardous
chemicals
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The system uses a
diamond-shaped symbol,
four colored quadrants, and
a hazard rating scale of 0 to
4.
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The health hazard is shown
in the blue quadrant.
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The flammability hazard is
shown in the red quadrant.
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The instability hazard is
indicated in the yellow
quadrant.
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The specific hazard is
shown in the white
quadrant.
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BIOLOGICAL SAFETY
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Standard Precautions
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All biological specimens must be
considered potentially infectious
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Always use required PPEs when handling
biohazardous material
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Cap specimens that are being centrifuged
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Mouth pipeting is NEVER permitted under any
circumstances
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Spills must be cleaned using proper technique
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OSHA mandates that labs provide written
bloodborne and airborne ( TB ) safety policies.
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Annual TB screening ( PPD test ) for hospital
employee’s is mandatory
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Biological Safety
Cleaning Specimen Collection Areas and Biological
Spills
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Wear gloves.
First clean area with visible blood with an absorbant,
then disinfect the entire area.
Use 1:10 bleach solution or commercially prepared
solution.
Keep the bleach in contact with contaminated area
for at least 20 minutes.
Use colored biohazard labels.
Provide accident follow-up report
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Specimen Safety
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Proper Labeling of small samples, dilutions,
aliquots
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Minimum requirements
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Patient Name
Specimen Number
Date
Prevents pre-analytical error
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Radioactivity Safety
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Gamma ray - most
penetrating
Beta ray - less penetrating
Must wear badge
Work area monitored
frequently
The Three Cardinal Principles
of Self-protection
1.
Time
2.
Shielding
3.
Distance
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FIRE SAFETY
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Essential elements for fire
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Fuel
Heat or ignition source
Oxygen
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FIRE SAFETY
Classification of Fires
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Class A: Paper, wood, plastic,
fabrics
Class B: Flammable liquids –
gases
Class C: Electrical
Class D: Combustible metals
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Fire extinguishers are labeled to
indicate which type of fire they
combat
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Most extinguishers utilize a dry
chemical that combats A, B and C
fires
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FIRE SAFETY
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Know the location of
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Fire alarm pull stations
Extinguishers
Fire blankets
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Know the telephone number to report fires
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RACE
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Rescue - Remove patients from immediate harm
Alarm -Pull fire alarm
Contain - Close doors and windows
Extinguish - Extinguish fire
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DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
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Chemical Waste
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Know the SOP for the disposal of every substance
You can’t assume that everything goes down the drain !
Biohazardous Waste
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Disposal of biohazardous waste is regulated by law
Waste containers must be clearly labeled
Sharps ( needles, blades, glass ) must be placed in hard containers
Infectious wastes should be autoclaved before disposal
General rules
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Tubes and other containers of blood, papers or other materials that contain
significant amounts( > 1 inch diameter on paper or ½ mL total) of blood, used
culture plates should go into bio-waste
Paper towels, used gloves, KimWipes should go in regular trash
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ACCIDENT DOCUMENTATION AND
INVESTIGATION
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All accidents must be immediately reported to a supervisor
(AFTER first aid )
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Accident Investigation forms must be completed by the employee
and employer
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Time and place are documented
Cause documented
Nature of the injury
OSHA regulations require accident records to be kept 30 years
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References
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Bishop, M., Fody, E., & Schoeff, l. (2010). Clinical Chemistry:
Techniques, principles, Correlations. Baltimore: Wolters
Kluwer Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sunheimer, R., & Graves, L. (2010). Clinical Laboratory
Chemistry. Upper Saddle River: Pearson .
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