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LABORATORY / SECOND SEMESTER
Ms. Francesca Avegail Suñiga, RMT, ASCPi

WEEK 2: LABORATORY SAFETY

SAFETY STANDARDS and AGENCIES

OBJECTIVE/S:

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

- within the U.S Department of Labor to set levels of safety and health for all
workers in the United States.

CLSI: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute

- Nonprofits educational organization that sets voluntary consensus

standards for all areas of clinical laboratories. BIOLOGICAL HAZARD

CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention These microorganisms are frequently present in the specimens received in the clinical
laboratory
- Federal agency that carries out mandated public health laws and reporting
requirements. CDC  Universal Precautions (1987)

CAP: College of American Pathologists - Blood and body fluid precautions should be consistently used for all patients
- Specimens should be “capped” during centrifugation
TJC: The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO)

OSHA Blood-Borne Pathogens standard requirements written

“EXPOSURE CONTROL PLAN”
ALL CLINICAL LABORATORY SHOULD HAVE:
CATEGORIES OF EXPOSURE:
01 Chemical Hygiene plan

CATEGORY I - Daily exposure to blood and body fluids

02 Exposure control plan

CATEGORY II - Regular exposure to blood and body fluids

03 Copy of MSDS

CATEGORY III - No exposure to blood and body fluids

Safety begins with the recognition of hazards and is achieved through the ff:
***Employers must offer HBV vaccine to all personnel (CATEGORY I and II)
- Application of common sense
- Listen to the instructions
BIOHAZARD SYMBOL
- A safety-focused attitude
- Good personal behavior
SOURCE
- Good housekeeping in all laboratory work and storage areas
- Continual practice of good laboratory technique.
TRANSMISSION

TWO PRIMARY CAUSES OF ACCIDENT

01 Unsafe acts
HOST

02 Unsafe environmental conditions

SAFETY EQUIPMENT

• Safety showers and Eyewash stations

• Fire extinguishers
LABORATORY GUIDELINES and REGULATIONS
SAFETY IN CLINICAL LABORATORY
Formulated by the CDC and OSHA

In 1987: CDC instituted the Universal Precautions (UP)

The guidelines recommends:

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1. wearing gloves when collecting or handling blood and other body fluids Spontaneously explode or ignite or that evolve heat or flammable or explosive gases
contaminated with blood
2. wearing face shields when there is danger of blood splashing on mucous
CARCINOGENIC CHEMICALS
membranes
3. when disposing of all needles and sharp objects in puncture resistant
containers

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS)

BSI GUIDELINES (Body Substance Isolation):  Product name and identification

 Hazardous Ingredients
 Permissible exposure limit (PEL)
-are not limited to blood borne-pathogens
 Physical and Chemical Data
 Health Hazard Data and Carcinogenic Potential
-personnel should always wear gloves at all times when encountering moist body  Primary routes of entry
substances  Fire and explosion hazards
 Reactivity Data
-a major disadvantage of BSI guidelines are that, they do not recommend handwashing  Spill and Disposal Procedures
following removal of gloves unless visual contamination is present  PPE recommendations
 Handling
In 1996: CDC combined the major features of UP and BSI guidelines and called the new  Emergency and first aid procedures
guidelines as Standard Precautions.  Storage and transportation precautions
 Chemical manufacturer’s name, address, and telephone number
 Special Information Section
Under this guideline, includes:

 HANDWASHING
 GLOVES
 MASK, EYE PROTECTION AND FACE SHIELDS NFPA LABELLING SYSTEM
 GOWN
 PATIENT CARE EQUIPMENT The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed the Standard System for
 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL providing codes and standard information about the chemicals/solutions.
 LINEN
 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS
 PATIENT PLACEMENT

DISPOSAL OF BIOLOGICAL WASTE

All biological waste (except URINE) should be placed in appropriate containers labeled
with biohazard symbol

CHEMICAL HAZARD

CHEMICAL SPILLS: when skin contact occurs, the best first aid is to flush the area
with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes and then seek medical attention

CHEMICAL HANDLING: chemicals should never be mixed together unless specific

instructions are followed, and they must be added in the order specified.

This is particularly important when combining acid and water.

CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN: OSHA also requires all facilities that use hazardous
chemical to have a written chemical hygiene plan (CHP) available to employees. The
purpose of the plan is to detail the following:

Appropriate work practices, Standard Operating Procedures, PPE, Engineering Controls

such as Fume Hoods and Flammable Safety Cabinet, Employee training equipment’s and FIRE/EXPLOSIVE HAZARD
Medical Consultation Guidelines.

STORAGE AND HANDLING OF CHEMICALS

FLAMMABLE/COMBUSTIBLE CHEMICALS

Classified according to FLASHPOINT  the temperature at which sufficient vapor is

given off to form an ignitable mixture with air.

CORROSIVE CHEMICAL

Injurious to the skin or eyes by direct contact or to the tissue of the respiratory and
gastrointestinal tracts if inhaled or ingested.

REACTIVE CHEMICALS

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Radiation monitoring utilizes film badge or survey meter -> maximum permissible dose
is 5000 mrem/year whole body

MECHANICAL HAZARD

CENTRIFUGE: must be balanced to distribute the load equally.

- never open the lid until the rotor has come to a complete stop
- safety locks on equipment should never be rendered inoperable

GLASS BEADS: helps eliminate bumping/boilover when liquids are heated

INFECTIOUS SHARPS: disposed in OSHA –approved containers.

DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

4 BASIC WASTE DISPOSAL TECHNIQUE

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
requires that all health – care institutions post evacuation routes and detailed plans to
 FLUSHING DOWN THE DRAIN
follow in the event of a fire
 INCINERATION
 LANDFILL BURIAL
Laboratory personnel should be familiar with this procedures. When a fire is discovered,  RECYCLING
all employees are expected to take the actions in the acronym:

R: Rescue
PROPER HAND WASHING
A: Alarm
1. WETTING HANDS
C: Contain 2. LATHERING HANDS AND CREATING FRICTION
3. CLEANING BETWEEN FINGERS
E: Extinguish 4. RINSING HANDS
5. DRYING HANDS
6. TURNING OFF WATER

ELECTRICAL HAZARD

Ungrounded or wet equipment; frayed cords

ELECTRICAL SAFETY

- Lock-out or tag malfunctioning electrical or mechanical equipment

- Know hot to knock a shocked person loose using a non-conductive material

ELECTRICAL PRECAUTIONARY PROCEDURES

 Use only explosion-proof equipment in hazardous atmospheres

 Be particularly careful when operating high-voltage equipment, such as
electrophpresis apparatus
 Check for frayed electrical cords
 Promptly report any malfunctions or equipment
 Do not work on live electrical equipment
 Never operate electrical equipment with wet hands
 Know the exact location of the electrical control panel for the electricity to
your work area

RADIATION HAZARD

Equipment and radioisotopes

RADIATION SAFETY

All areas where radioactive materials are used or stored must be posted with caution
signs, and traffic in these areas should be restricted to essential personnel only.

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