DIAGNOSTICS

Laboratory Safety Guidelines

Learning Guide Series

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LABORATORY SAFETY GUIDELINES
Safety is of the utmost importance in the clinical laboratory. Following proper safety protocols will help
ensure a safe working environment for all laboratory workers. In addition, a safe working environment
leads to a more efficient laboratory and accuracy of the tests performed.

OBJECTIVES
The Laboratory Safety Guidelines is intended to provide laboratory workers with general laboratory
safety information, including personal protective equipment, and proper waste disposal.

This Laboratory Safety Guidelines is not a substitute for guidelines provided by your institution,
local or national authorities.

After completing this basic general guideline, you will be able to:

• Explain why laboratory safety procedures are important

• Describe general laboratory biosafety procedures
• Identify the personal protective equipment (PPE) used in the laboratory
• Describe the types of laboratory waste and procedures for waste disposal

KEY CONCEPTS
1. Laboratory safety procedures may help reduce the risk of injury due to exposure to hazardous
chemicals, transmission of infectious agents to laboratory workers, and cross-contamination of
specimens.
2. Laboratory employees should use universal precautions, i.e., treat all potential biohazard
materials (reagents, calibrators, controls, clinical specimens, contaminated instruments) as if
they contain infectious agents. Follow Bloodborne Pathogen safety training information while
working with these materials.
3. PPE includes gloves, lab coats, and safety glasses with side shields.
4. Dispose of all chemical specimens, reagents, controls, calibrators, standards, cuvettes, and
other disposables that may be contaminated in accordance with local, state, or country
regulations. Sharp contaminates should be disposed of in designated puncture-resistant
containers displaying a biohazard label, then incinerated or autoclaved.

WHY IS SAFETY IMPORTANT?

Some chemicals used in the clinical laboratory may be hazardous or toxic. In addition, many of the
specimens tested in the laboratory contain infectious agents. Chemical and biosafety procedures have
been developed to help prevent injuries from contact with chemicals and the transmission of infectious
agents to workers in the laboratory. Following safety procedures will also help reduce the risk of
cross-contamination between specimens.

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GENERAL LABORATORY SAFETY
To provide a safe working environment, the US Government created laws called the Occupational
Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Other countries may have similar laws and regulations, such as the
EU-OSHA in the European Union. Check with your local authorities on such laws and regulations that
provide a safe working environment in your country.

This section discusses four specific categories of laboratory safety:

• Biosafety
• Chemical safety
• Electrical safety
• Lifting safety

1. Biosafety
A major hazard in any clinical laboratory is exposure to infectious agents from patient specimens.
Universal precautions should be followed by all lab employees, i.e., consider all clinical specimens,
reagents, controls, etc that contain human blood, and surfaces or components that have come into
contact with human blood or the above materials as potentially infectious. Wear gloves, lab coats,
and safety glasses, and follow other biosafety practices specified in the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen
standard (29 CFR Part 1910.1030) or other equivalent biosafety procedures.

Individuals working with potentially infectious material should keep their hands away from their face
(eyes, mouth). Frequent hand washing is an easy and efficient way to limit the spread of the potential
pathogens. Serum separated from blood should not be decanted but should be transferred by pipette,
and never by mouth pipetting.

Biosafety procedures also include the following:

• Use of lab-associated hazards (e.g., chemicals or specimens) shall be limited to the laboratory
area.
• No one should eat, drink, or smoke in the lab. The lab refrigerator should be used only for lab-
associated materials. Persons in the lab should also refrain from applying cosmetics, handling
contact lenses, or conducting any other personal hygiene.
• A biohazard label should be displayed on any container or rack used for specimens.
• All tools, instruments, and work surfaces should be cleaned using the appropriate disinfectant.
Before leaving the lab, all persons should wash their hands in the designated sink using the
soap provided.
• All laboratory personnel should wear personal protection equipment (gloves, lab coats, safety
glasses with side shields). Any waterproof glove can be used.

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2. Chemical Safety
Know the properties of reagents and other chemicals, and how to handle them prior to working with
the material. See the package insert or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for Abbott product safety information.
The OSHA Right to Know Standard requires that a Safety Data Sheet be provided for each chemical
material used in the laboratory. The SDS, which must be accessible to employees at all times, alerts users
to:

• Chemical and physical dangers associated with the product

• Proper storage of the product (e.g., flammable materials must be kept in an approved storage
cabinet)
• Safety procedures that should be used when handling the product
• Emergency steps that should be taken if an accident occurs (e.g., special procedures/personnel
required for cleaning up spills)
• Procedures for proper disposal of the product
Wherever you work, ask your laboratory supervisor for the proper chemical disposal procedures since
they are different across local or national communities.

The OSHA Right to Know Standard in the United States requires that employees have access to the SDS
for each chemical.

3. Electrical Safety
The following procedures should be followed to help ensure safety when working with electrical
equipment.

• Turn off the power to the instrument and disconnect the power cord before replacing fuses,
printed circuit boards, etc. Use only replacement fuses of the specified type and electrical
rating.
• Keep surfaces dry around the instrument and electrical connectors.
• Remove jewelry and loose items such as ties prior to working on electrical equipment.
• Do not disconnect any electrical connection while the power is on. Follow instructions for
correctly powering down instruments and all connected equipment before performing service
maintenance.
• Use only approved power cords and electrical accessories, such as those supplied with the
instrument, to protect against electrical shock. Connect power cords only to properly grounded
outlets.
• Inspect electrical equipment before use to ensure that it is in good working order. Instruments
should be turned off before the power is disconnected.

4. Lifting Safety
Whenever possible, obtain assistance when handling heavy objects and always follow installation
instructions to prevent injuries.

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PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
This section discusses the use of personal protective equipment (gloves, lab coats, safety glasses with
side shields) in the clinical laboratory.

1. Gloves
Gloves are required when working with potential biohazard materials and some chemicals. Any
waterproof glove can be used. Remove gloves and dispose of in the laboratory.

Gloves are required when working with potential biohazard materials and some chemicals.

2. Lab Coats
When in the lab, employees should wear and button lab coats to protect clothing and skin to exposure
from potential biohazards and chemicals. They must be left in the lab after use.
Lab coats can be made of cloth or paper. Paper lab coats are disposable and should be discarded in a
biohazard container after use. Cloth lab coats should be fluid-resistant.
Certain types of lab coats may be designated for use only in specific areas of the lab, so that contami-
nants are not carried between work areas. This is especially important in labs that work with DNA.

3. Safety Glasses
Safety glasses with side shields are required at all times. When working with materials that may splash, a
face shield may also be worn to protect mucous membranes.

PROPER WASTE DISPOSAL

The waste generated in the clinical laboratory can be divided into several categories: biohazard, paper-
only, aerosols, and sharps. Special considerations must be taken in disposing of these wastes. These
guidelines, along with your local or country regulations should be followed.

1. Biohazard
In the clinical laboratory, biohazards include blood and any fluid that may contain blood, such as urine,
cerebrospinal fluid, synovial (joint) fluid, amniotic fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, saliva, etc., as well as
contaminated instruments, reagents, calibrators, controls, etc. These wastes should be double-bagged in
red or orange bags with visible biohazard labels, then autoclaved or incinerated. Follow the laboratory
procedures for decontaminating liquids prior to disposal.

2. Paper-Only
If paper is contaminated with blood or any other body fluids, it must be treated as a biohazard. If it is
not contaminated, paper can be disposed of with regular waste.

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3. Aerosols
Aerosols are air-borne particles that can be created when a pressurized container is opened. For
example, initially opening a tube of blood can release air-borne blood particles. Aerosols can be trapped
as the tube is opened by covering the top of the tube with a cloth. The cloth should then be discarded
with other biohazards.

4. Sharps
Sharps, include contaminated needles or syringes, scalpels, broken glass, catheters, and glass pipettes.
These wastes should be disposed of in a designated container made of a puncture-resistant, rigid
material and clearly labeled with the biohazard symbol. When they are full, these containers should
be incinerated or autoclaved. Always follow site laboratory procedures for the proper disposal of these
materials..

5. Chemical Waste
Chemical waste should be disposed of according to the site chemical waste handling requirements.

SUMMARY
Operation, maintenance, and servicing of clinical laboratory instruments (e.g., Abbott hematology
analyzers) may expose individuals to potential safety and health hazards. All work must be performed
in accordance with procedures described in your instrument’s Operations or Service Manuals or as
directed by a Technical Support Representative.

Dispose of all clinical specimens, reagents, controls, calibrators, standards, cuvettes, and other
disposables that may be contaminated, in accordance with regulations in your city, state/province, or
country.

CHOOSE TRA NSF O RMATION TM

www. corelaboratory.abbott/hematology
CHOOSE TRANSFORMATION is a trademark of Abbott Laboratories in various jurisdictions.
Abbott Operator’s Manuals and SDS may be found on the www.corelaboratory.abbott website
© 2020 Abbott Laboratories. ADD-00069727.
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