Health and Safety Procedures

Radiation Protection

• Lead aprons or vests can reduce a worker's radiation dose from X-rays and gamma rays.

Fire Safety

• Fire safety procedures aim to reduce damage and injuries caused by fires.
• Risk assessments help identify and reduce areas of fire risk.
• An emergency and evacuation plan is formulated in case of a fire.

Hazardous Waste Treatment

• Chemical methods for treating hazardous waste include:
  • Ion exchange
  • Precipitation
  • Oxidation
  • Reduction
  • Neutralization
• Thermal methods include high-temperature incineration, which can detoxify and destroy certain organic wastes.

Microbiology

Shape/Morphology

• Bacterial species names can be classified according to their shape.
• Example: Staphylococcus aureus, Gram positive, cocci.

Growth Media

• Solid growth media is used in the following forms:
  • Agar plates
  • Agar slants
  • Agar deeps
• Agar plates are made by pouring melted agar into a petri dish.
• Agar slants and agar deeps are made by pouring melted agar into a test tube and allowing it to solidify.

Biosafety Cabinet

• A biosafety cabinet is a primary engineering control used to protect personnel against biohazardous or infectious agents.
• It filters both the inflow and exhaust air.
• There are 3 classes of biosafety cabinets: Type A1, Type A2, Type B1, and Type B2.
• There are 4 levels of biosafety: BSL 1, BSL 2, BSL 3, and BSL 4.

Aseptic Technique

• Aseptic technique is a method that involves target-specific practices and procedures to reduce contamination from microbes.
• It is a compulsory laboratory skill in microbiology.
• Routine practices used in microbiology laboratories to prevent contamination include:
  • Wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Using a biological safety cabinet
  • Cleaning and sterilizing surfaces and equipment
  • Handling samples and cultures carefully
• Inoculating loop can be used to perform aseptic manipulations without the risk of contamination.
• Samples and cultures should be handled using sterile pipettes and equipment to minimize the risk of contamination.

Laboratory Safety

• Clean the lab bench with disinfectant before and after lab.
• Keep the lab bench free of unnecessary materials.
• Do not take cultures from the lab area.
• Dispose all contaminated materials in autoclave bags.
• Immediately report all accidents and spills to the instructor.
• Cover spills with disinfectant-soaked paper towels for at least 15 minutes before disposing them.

Laminar Flow vs. Biosafety Cabinet

• A laminar flow hood is not a biological safety cabinet.
• It is designed to provide a sterile environment to protect the product, but does not provide protection to the worker.
• A biological safety cabinet is a primary containment device used with biological material, protecting the user from hazardous material using directional air flow.

This quiz covers essential health and safety procedures, including radiation protection, fire safety, and hazardous waste treatment. Learn about the measures to reduce radiation doses, identify fire risks, and treat hazardous waste.