Laboratory Safety Standards Governing Agencies:
Laboratories have safety standards that are mandated, governed and reviewed by the following agencies:
- OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Ensure workers have safe and healthy working environment
- Safeguards
- Regulations
- Safety and Health Protection
- Provisions for Warning or Biohazard Labels
- Warnings and Alerts for All Workers to Potential Hazards
- Suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Exposure Control Procedures
- Training and Education
- Chemical Hygiene
- MSDS sheets on file and accessible
- Chemical Hygiene Officer and committee
- Work practices
- List of chemicals in inventory
- Chemical storage and appropriate labeling
- Documentation
- SOPs
- Eyewashes
- Safety Showers
- PPE
- Employee records of annual exams and vaccinations
- Special precautions
- Waste removal and disposal
- Right-to-know laws
- HAZCOM (chemical hazard communication)
- Blood-borne Pathogens and Exposure Control Plan
- Standard Precautions
- Universal Precautions
- Proper PPE
- Splash Guards and Barriers
- Gowns, Gloves, Face Shields
- Respirators or masks as needed
- Handwashing
- Alcohol-based hand rubs
- Decontamination of Work Surfaces, Equipment, Spills
- Eyewashes and Safety Showers
- Sharps containers
- Biohazard containers
- Biohazard stickers
- Specimen processing
- Biosafety cabinets
- ID of Hazards:
- Fire
- Fire extinguishers
- Class A (combustibles)
- Class B (flammables)
- Class C (electrical)
- PASS: Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
- Fire drills
- Evacuation routes
- Flammability
- Reactivity
- Explosivity
- Fire Codes:
- Class A
- Class B
- Class C
- Class D
- Class E
- Fire extinguishers
- Electrical
- Shock
- Fire hazards
- Grounding
- No exposed wires or trip hazards
- Chemical
- Diamond hazard symbol (0-4)
- Red: flammability
- Yellow: Reactivity
- White: Special hazard
- Blue: Health hazard
- ID of the hazardous chemical
- Route of body entry
- Health hazard
- Aerosols
- Irritants
- Sensitizers
- Caustic
- Corrosive
- Alkali or Acid Burns
- Cuts
- Physical hazard
- Target organ affected
- Proper storage and use of chemicals
- Metal: flammable solvents like acetone or ether
- Organic solvents: handle in safety cabinet
- Carcinogens
- Teratogens
- Mutagens
- Diamond hazard symbol (0-4)
- Biological (biohazards)
- Biological waste
- Bioterrorism agents and diseases
- Cat. A
- Cat. B
- Cat. C
- Infectious waste
- Glassware hazards
- Fire
- Safety Officers
- Initial orientation of new staff
- Safety Training
- Safety policies and procedures
- Fire extinguisher practice
- Spill cleanup and spill kits
- Fire prevention and preparedness and evacuation routes and procedures
- Fire drills
- Chemical safety
- Biological hazards
- Infection control
- Radiation safety
- Specimen package and shipping procedures
- Update staff on new procedures or regulations
- Compliance with regulations, labeling, providing supplies for proper handling of chemicals and disposal of biohazard materials
- Safety Representatives
- Compliance
- Inspection Procedures
- Penalties for Noncompliance
- Complaint Procedures
- Duties and Responsibilities of Admin.
- Operation of the System
- Standards
- Safety and Health Protection
- CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute)
- NCCLS (National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards)
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- USDHHS (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)
- CAP (College of American Pathologists)
- JCAHO (The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
Lab Safety Terminology:
Bloodborne Pathogens: disease-causing organisms present in the blood of humans or in blood products or fomites (inanimate objects) contaminated with blood, making them potentially infectious materials
PIM: potentially infectious materials
Hazards or Biohazards: potential causes of harm or disease
Infectious Waste:
Standard Precautions: treat all blood and body fluids as if they are infectious materials
Contact Precautions: patients have known or suspected infectious diseases that could easily be transmitted by direct contact or by contact with inanimate objects (fomites) such as chairs, tables, sinks, surfaces, clothing, bedding, etc...
Airborne Precautions: infectious diseases could be potentially spread via aerosol droplets (sneezing, coughing, sniffling, vortexing materials or potential for creating splashes)
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
Sharps Containers:
Biohazard Bin:
PIM: potentially infectious materials
Hazards or Biohazards: potential causes of harm or disease
Infectious Waste:
- Blood and body fluids, including serum, plasma, other components of blood, secretions, excretions
- Supersaturated absorbent materials
- Pathological and microbiological waste
- All sharpest items that could cause a wound or puncture
- Needles
- Sticks
- Capillary tubes
- Glass vials
- Broken glass
- Glass slides
- Scalpel blades
- Goes in Biohazard Red Bins or Sharps Containers
Standard Precautions: treat all blood and body fluids as if they are infectious materials
Contact Precautions: patients have known or suspected infectious diseases that could easily be transmitted by direct contact or by contact with inanimate objects (fomites) such as chairs, tables, sinks, surfaces, clothing, bedding, etc...
Airborne Precautions: infectious diseases could be potentially spread via aerosol droplets (sneezing, coughing, sniffling, vortexing materials or potential for creating splashes)
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
- Lab Coat
- Fluid-resistant
- Long-sleeves worn all the way down with cuff over wrist of glove
- Knee-length or longer
- Buttons snapped
- Badge inside
- Removed in clean areas or outside of the technical area
- Placed on designated hook in dirty area
- Gloves
- Face Shield
- Clean with bleach or CaviCide if visibly dirty
- Shield
- Fluid-resistant Shoes
- Rubber soles
- Non-porous
- Completely cover entire foot
Sharps Containers:
- Red or orange
- Clearly marked with Biohazard Label
- Closable
- Puncture-resistant
- Leakproof on all sides and bottom
- Able to easily access
- Keep upright
- Do not overfill
- Tape closed or seal with a tight-fitting lid
- Replace routinely
Biohazard Bin:
- Usually red or orange
- Clearly marked with Biohazard label
- Sturdy plastic
- vIncinerated
Infectious Diseases Terminology:
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HBV: Hepatitis B Virus
HCV: Hepatitis C Virus
- cause of AIDS
- infectious
HBV: Hepatitis B Virus
- attacks the liver
- can be life-threatening
- infectious
- can survive on surfaces in ambient air for up to a week
- vaccine is available to protect healthcare workers (series of 3)
- HBSAG: hepatitis B surface antigen
- HBAB: hepatitis B antibody
HCV: Hepatitis C Virus
- attacks the liver
- can be life-threatening
- linked to liver cancer
- infectious
- acute and/or chronic stages
- can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, along with liver failure
- can cause esophageal or gastric varices (veins that can burst) and be life-threatening
Chemical Hygiene Basic Terminology:
- Corrosive:
- Caustic
- Strong acids with pH of <2
- Strong bases with pH of >12.5
- Can cause severe burns to human tissue
- Can cause severe damage to the GI and respiratory tract if inhaled or ingested
- Irritant:
- Can cause reversible inflammation
- Sensitizers
- Carcinogen:
- A known potential cancer-causing chemical
- Benzene
- Toluene
- A known potential cancer-causing chemical
- Poison:
- Toxin
- Can cause serious biological effects, including death, if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin
- Ignitable:
- Chemical that can easily catch on fire and burn
- Combustible
- Flammable
- Flammable:
- A liquid with a flashpoint below 100 degrees F
- Acetone
- Ethanol
- Methanol
- A liquid with a flashpoint below 100 degrees F
- Combustible:
- Has a flash point at or above 100 degrees F but it is less than 200 degrees F
- Acetic acid
- Has a flash point at or above 100 degrees F but it is less than 200 degrees F
- Oxidizer:
- Initiates or promotes combustion in another material
- Causes fire
- Potassium permanganate
- Sodium chlorate
- Reactive:
- Reacts violently with a substance such as water
- Produces heat and flammable or toxic gases
- Toxins:
- Hepatoxins: can damage the liver
- Tetrachloroethane
- Neurotoxins: can damage the nervous system
- Reproductive toxins: can damage the reproductive system
- Mutagens: can cause chromosomal damage
- Teratogens: can cause birth defects or fetal death
- Hepatoxins: can damage the liver
Chemical Storage:
Incompatible chemicals should never be stored together. Oxidizing agents should never be stored with combustible chemicals or flammable chemicals.
Basic Lab Safety Rules:
- Always wear proper PPE and work slowly and cautiously to protect yourself and avoid routine exposure to chemicals or infectious substances
- Practice safe habits
- Know the chemical and other hazards and where to locate your lab's SDS sheets and safety manual
- Never smell, inhale or taste chemicals
- Make sure your area is well-ventilated and that you utilize proper vented exhaust devices, biological and chemical hoods, and monitor temperatures, humidity, expiration dates, storage requirements, etc...
- Add acid to water, NOT water to acid
- Keep flammables away from incinerators, flames, or sparks
- Maintain a proper chemical inventory and proper storage of chemicals
- Use the minimum amount of chemicals as necessary
- Clean up and report spills immediately
- DO not let any unauthorized personnel into the laboratory
- Report unsafe conditions, such as trip hazards, electrical hazards, chemical hazards, and see to it that they are corrected as soon as possible
- Never eat, apply lip gloss or makeup, drink, eat or smoke in the laboratory
- Wash your hands for at least 15 seconds before starting work, after taking off or changing your gloves, after you finish working, before and after you eat, and before and after you go to the bathroom
- Never store any food or beverages in laboratory refrigerators or freezers
- Never use your mouth to pipette liquids
- Handle laboratory glassware with caution and care and avoid breakage or damage
- Become familiar with the locations and use of spill kits, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, first aid kits, evacuation routes, defibrillators, eyewashes, safety showers, and clean sinks
- Loose hair should be kept back and one should be mindful of loose clothing, jewelry or badges that could become caught in equipment or contaminated
- Keep your work area free of clutter and clean; Disinfect your area before and after you finish your work
- Chemicals and equipment should always be properly maintained, labeled, and stored