Lab Safety and Regulations PDF

Chapter 3: Laboratory Safety and Regulations By Tolmie E. Wachter Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Federal regulation enacted by Congress in 1970 Goal: provide all employee...

Chapter 3: Laboratory Safety and Regulations By Tolmie E. Wachter Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Federal regulation enacted by Congress in 1970 Goal: provide all employees with safe work environment On-site inspections to ensure compliance Administered by state agencies or federal administration Includes standards that regulate safety in many aspects of clinical laboratory Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard – Mandates “Universal Precautions” to prevent, evaluate, and manage exposure to bloodborne pathogens – Presumes all blood, tissue, fluids are infected – Requires written “Exposure Control Plan” Universal Precautions – all blood and body fluids are considered potentially infected with blood-borne pathogens Examples of blood-borne pathogens: – HIV, HBV, HCV Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens Categories of exposure: – Category 1 – exposed to blood and body fluids on a daily basis – Category 2 – regularly exposed to blood and body fluids – Category 3 – never exposed to blood and body fluids Employers must offer hepatitis B vaccine at no cost to all personnel in Category 1 and 2 Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens Identify tasks causing exposure to blood and body fluids – Use engineering controls (work shields, face shields, pipeting devices, ect.) to minimize risk of exposure – Employers must provide PPE (personal protective equipment) at no cost when needed – Give examples of PPE Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens Good work practices – Wash hands before leaving the lab, before using the biologic safety cabinet (BSC) and after removing gloves; first line of defense in infection control – Do NOT mouth pipet – Do NOT eat, drink, smoke, apply cosmetics, lip balm or contact lenses in clinical area – Do NOT bend, break, shear or recap used needles and syringes Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens Good work practices (cont.) – Clean up blood/body fluid spills immediately with 1:10 dilution of 5% household bleach (hypochlorite) – Clean counter tops, phones, key boards, on a regular basis with 1:10 dilution of 5% household bleach (hypochlorite) – Report all blood and body fluid exposures, document via incident report and have exposed person’s blood tested as well as source patient’s blood – Employees have right to know lab results of source patient but must observe confidentiality Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Blood Borne Pathogens Good work practices (cont.) – Employees are entitled to medical consultation – Use universal precautions with all reagents prepared from human blood or body fluids Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Lab Safety Biological safety cabinets – must monitor airflow Must be – Use BSC with samples potentially containing monitored by quality pathogens transmitted by aerosolization control – Give examples ? – Facilitates safe manipulation of infectious material – Reduces risk of exposure to personnel and laboratory area – Direct airflow (inward and downward through high efficiency filter) Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hazardous Chemicals OSHA “Right to Know” standard states employees have a right to know what hazardous chemicals they work with and how to protect themselves when using them Prepare a chemical inventory of all chemicals used Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) – Information provided by the chemical manufacturer stating risks of exposure, what to do if exposed and other important medical information – Must have MSDS on all chemicals used Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Safety Awareness (cont’d) (Courtesy of Baxter International, Inc.) Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hazardous Chemicals Separate chemicals according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) – Flammmable Solvents – store in flame cabinet; 1 gal or smaller containers may be kept under fume hood – Corrosives – separate from other non-compatible chemicals (alkali) for storage – Acids – separate from other non compatible chemicals for storage – NEVER store chemicals above head height Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hazardous Chemicals Chemical Hygiene Plan – Written plan stipulates what to do in case of a chemical spill, fire or exposure to chemicals in lab – Plan also requires training and the appointment of a chemical hygiene officer – If chemical is splashed in eye, use eye wash and wash for 15 min; seek medical attention – If chemical is splashed on person or clothing, use body shower for 15 min – Carcinogens should only be used while wearing gloves Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hazardous Chemicals Chemical Spills – C ontain the spill – L eave the area – E mergency: eye wash, shower and medical attention – A ccess MSDS – N otify supervisor Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Waste Disposal Types – Hazardous waste – solid waste or mixture of solid waste which may pose a threat to human health or the environment when improperly handled – Infectious waste – equipment, utensils, or substances that may harbor or transmit pathogenic organisms from individuals who may have a communicable disease – Medical waste – any solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated in diagnosis, treatment or immunization of humans or animals Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Waste Disposal Identified by orange or red seamless plastic bags labeled with the biohazard symbol Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Waste Disposal Sharps container must be rigid, puncture-proof and leak proof – What goes in the sharps container? Treat infectious or medical wastes by incineration or autoclaving (public trash collection NOT suitable for disposal of raw infectious waste) Secured storage area for infectious material to prevent accidents in handling Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Radiation Safety Caution signs and restricted access to areas with radioactive material Regular monitoring and decontamination of equipment Maintenance of records and appropriate licenses Proper training for work with radioisotopes Monitoring of employee exposure Engineered shielding and personal protective equipment Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Fire Safety Fire: chemical reaction involving rapid oxidation of combustible material or fuel, liberating heat and light Four factors: fuel, ignition source, oxygen, reaction chain Classification of fires – Class A: ordinary combustible solid materials (paper, wood, etc.) – Class B: flammable liquids/gases and petroleum products – Class C: energized electrical equipment – Class D: combustive/reactive metals (magnesium, sodium, etc.) Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams Most fire extinguishers & Wilkins can be used on A, B, and C  NEVER use water on Fire Safety (cont’d) flammable liquids or electrical fires Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Fire Safety (cont’d) Types/Applications of Fire Extinguishers – Class A: pressurized water, foam, multipurpose dry-chemical – Classes B and C: multipurpose dry-chemical, carbon dioxide, halogenated hydrocarbon (for computers) – Class D: dry-chemical extinguishers (trained firefighters only) R rescue injured A larm C ontain fire close doors E emergency number; extinguish if small Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Fire Safety (cont’d) NEVER use water on flammable liquids or electrical fires Extinguish by removing fuel, air, or heat Remove pin from fire extinguisher; slowly squeeze the handle Aim at base of fire; walk slowly up to fire while moving extinguisher in sweeping motion Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Electrical Safety Lock out/tag out malfunctioning electrical or mechanical equipment until serviced Report any small shocks; unplug and tag equipment until seviced Replace all frayed wires and plugs If a severely shocked person cannot let go of instrument, unplug it (without touching it) or knock person loose with nonconductive material, such as wood Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Control of Other Hazards (cont’d) Cryogenics Materials Hazards – Use only containers designed to withstand ultralow temperatures. – Use eye/face protection and impermeable, loose- fitting gloves. – Store cryogenic fluids in well-insulated but loosely stoppered containers. Mechanical Hazards – Balance centrifuges; take special care with sharps and glassware. Ergonomic Hazards – Avoid prolonged Copyright repetitive motions, © 2010 Wolters Kluwer and lift Health | Lippincott with the Williams & Wilkins legs. Safety Awareness Employer’s responsibilities – Establish written laboratory work methods and safety policies – Provide safety information, supervision, guidance, training, protective equipment, medical surveillance to employees – Provide and maintain adequate equipment and facilities Employee’s responsibilities – Know and comply with work safety methods – Notify supervisor of unsafe conditions/practices – Use personal protective equipment Copyright © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins