LABORATORY SAFETY RULES AND REGULATIONS

1.0 OBJECTIVE:
To lay down the procedure for laboratory safety
2.0 SCOPE:
To be applicable in Microbiology laboratory
3.0 RESPONSIBILITY:
Quality Control
4.0 ACCOUNTABILITY:
Laboratory Manager
5.0 PROCEDURE:
5.1 General Laboratory Techniques;
5.1.1 Experiments- Never start an experiment on a bench already crowded
with apparatus.
5.1.2 Avoid leaving a laboratory experiment unattended.
5.1.3 In case an experiment should be left overnight, you should take an
account of the nature of the materials involved in the experiment and the
level of the supervision available.
5.1.4 Before starting an experiment familiarize yourself and your assistants
with the known hazards of the starting materials and end products.
5.1.5 Decide on appropriate safeguards and remedies.
5.1.6 Greater care must be taken with unknown combinations of chemical
reagents. If anything unexpected occurs during your experiment, consult
your immediate supervisor.
5.1.7 Never allow an untrained or unauthorised person to carry out any
experiment in the laboratory
5.2 Machinery; Always handle stationed moving machinery and with great care.
Observe necessary safety precautions as described in the machine safety
manual.
5.2.1 Never remove the guards or safety devices from the machine.
 5.2.2 Pay close attention to warning signs.
5.2.3 Don’t use any machine (especially the sophisticated ones) when in a
hurry or suffering from any impairment due to illness.
5.3 Hazardous Chemicals;
5.3.1 Experiments using hazardous chemicals should be carried out in fume
cupboards so as not to danger co-workers. Suitable respiratory
protection should always be on hand.
5.3.2 Observe special precautions when handling new organic substances of
which the toxic hazards are unknown.
5.3.3 Protective eye goggles and gloves must be worn.
5.3.4 Never fill pipette using the mouth.
5.3.5 When boiling a solution in a test tube, keep the mouth of the test tube
away from co-worker next to you or your own self.
5.4 Flammable Solvents;
5.4.1 Ensure that adequate fire extinguishers are available in the Laboratory.
5.4.2 Get to know the position of the main laboratory controls for electricity;
gas and water see that they are not in any way obstructed.
5.4.3 Remember that water immiscible solvents must not be poured down
drains.
5.4.4 Always use the approved facilities for disposing of flammable.
5.4.5 Never mix waste solvents in a common bottle. Use separate containers
clearly marked “WASTE FOR DISPOSAL”.
5.5 Glassware;
5.5.1 Examine all glassware before use for damage, star crack or even a
scratch.
5.5.2 Never store broken glassware in cupboards. Either send it for repair or
ensure its proper disposal.
5.6 Store-Room/ Refrigerators;
5.6.1 Laboratory storerooms and refrigerators should be inspected regularly.
 5.6.2 Hazardous chemicals should not be stored indefinitely but safely
disposed of after a project is completed.
5.6.3 All samples should be properly labelled. Liquid samples should be in
closed vessels and should be placed on metal trays.
5.6.4 Electrical controls and switches inside refrigerators and freezers may
cause sparks, which could be a source of ignition for flammable vapours.
5.6.5 Do not store flammable solvents in the refrigerator.
5.6.6 Do not store food items in the refrigerator.
5.7.0 General safety rules and regulation
5.7.1 access to core part of the laboratory should be restricted to unauthorised employees,
clear signage should be in place to ensure that.
5.7.2 Every member of staff working in a veterinary laboratory, including administrative staff,
should be risks associated with handling potentially hazardous biological material.
5.7.3 All specimens received in the laboratory should be regarded as potentially hazardous
and handled with due care.
5.7.4 Prevention of exposure to potentially infectious agents is very important. This requires
training staff in both good laboratory practice as well as making them aware of common
zoonotic diseases and how to prevent disease transmission.
5.7.5 Provision of appropriate protective gear, including masks and respirators for handling
highly infectious pathogens, is essential in laboratories where samples may contain
organisms that may be transmitted by aerosol. Such samples can also be handled in a
biosafety cabinet
5.7.6 Protective clothing should be worn at work, and removed when leaving the designated
work area. This can include coveralls or plain white laboratory coats and disposable
gloves, sturdy footwear and so on.
5.7.7 Special protective clothing (that is, masks, protective goggles, rubber boots, washable or
disposable aprons and so on) should be worn when working with material from cases of
suspected rabies or other zoonotic diseases, and at post-mortems. In countries where
 rabies is common, all staff should be vaccinated and the post vaccination titres checked
to ensure protection.
5.7.8 Always ensure that staff wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after
handling cultures and/or specimens and before leaving the laboratory.
5.7.9 Do not smoke or eat in the laboratory.
5.7.10 Spillage of potentially infectious material should be handled as follows
i disinfect immediately (wear gloves!)
ii cover with disposable tissue (to make smoke Do not or eat in the laboratory the spill
visible)
iii warn colleagues that there is a spill
iv keep the spill remains covered with the disinfectant for about 30 min
v wipe up the spill using absorbent paper and discard in the biological waste bin.
5.7.11 Soiled swabs, microbiology samples, cultures and all potentially pathogenic material
should be discarded in the biologic waste bin (not in the waste paper basket).
5.7.12 All glassware and containers used for potentially pathogenic material must be placed in
a disinfectant before sterilization and washing.
5.7.13 Benches should be wiped down every day with disinfectant in the morning and before
leaving the laboratory.
5.7.14 Used, contaminated sharps (needles, Pasteur pipettes and so on) should be discarded in
a safe ‘sharps container’. In many countries, there are contractors who will provide
waste disposal for veterinary and medical facilities, they usually supply sharps
containers and other receptacles which are collected for disposal. These contractors
must abide by local and national byelaws.
6 ABBREVIATIONS;
QC= quality control