Laboratory Safety Guidelines Clinical Chemistry MTAP Handout 2024-2025 PDF

Laboratory Safety Safety Equipment The employer is required by law to have designated safety equipment available, but it is also the responsibility if the employee to comply with all safety rules and use to use safety equipment. All laboratories are r...

Laboratory Safety Safety Equipment The employer is required by law to have designated safety equipment available, but it is also the responsibility if the employee to comply with all safety rules and use to use safety equipment. All laboratories are required to have safety showers, eyewash stations, and fire extinguishers and to periodically inspect the equipment for proper operation It is recommended that safety showers deliver 30 to 50 gallons of water per minute at 20 to 50 pounds per square inch and be located in areas where corrosive liquids are stored or used Eye wash stations must be accessible (within 100 ft. or 10s travel) in laboratory areas presenting chemical or biological exposure hazards Fire blankets, spill kits first-aid supplies Biosafety Cabinets remove particles that may be harmful to the employee who is working with potentially infectious biologic specimens BSCs are designed to offer various levels of protection, depending on the biosafety level of the specific laboratory CDC and the NIH have described four levels of biosafety Laboratory Safety Comparison of Biosafety Cabinet Characteristics Laboratory Safety Fume Hoods and PPE Chemical Fume Hoods Fume hoods are required to contain and expel noxious and hazardous chemical reagents The hood should never be operated with the sash fully opened, and a maximum operating sash height should be established and conspicuously marked Periodically evaluate ventilation by measuring face velocity with a calibrated velocity meter Velocity at the face of the hood should be 100 to 120 feet per minute and fairly uniform across the entire opening Personal Protective Equipment safety glasses rubberized sleeves goggles laboratory coats visors proper footwear work shields respirators (with HEPA) gloves (polyvinyl for latex allergies) hand washing Proper Donning and Doffing Donning gown _____________ > _____________ mask > _____________ goggles > _____________ gloves Doffing gloves _____________ > _____________ goggles mask > _____________ > _____________ gown > Handwash Laboratory Safety Biologic Safety: All blood sample and other body fluids should be collected, transported, and handled, and processed using standard precaution. Finely dispersed aerosols from centrifugation of biologic specimens are high-risk source of infection. Ideally, specimens should remain capped during centrifugation, or several minutes should be allowed to elapse after centrifugation is complete before opening the lid. As a preferred option, the use of sealed-cup centrifuge is recommended. SPILLS 1. Alert others in area of the spill SPILL 2. Wear appropriate protective equipment Stop what you are doing Presume you are contaminated 3. Use mechanical devices to pick up broken glass or other sharp objects Inform others in the immediate area of the spills Localized the spilled materials 4. Absorb the spill with paper towel, gauze pads or tissue Label the areas contaminated 5. Clean the spill site using a common aqueous detergent 6. Clean the spill site using approved disinfectant or 10% bleach, using appropriate contact time 7. Rinse the spill site with water 8. Dispose of all material in appropriate biohazard containers Laboratory Safety Biologic Safety: Bloodborne Pathogens ____________________ Exposure Control Plan – to minimize bloodborne pathogen exposure. The plan must be available to all employees whose duties may result in reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials Airborne Pathogens A TB exposure control program must be established, and risks to laboratory workers must be assessed. The CDC guidelines require the government of a tuberculosis infection control program by any facility involved in the diagnosis or treatment of cases of confirmed infectious TB. TB isolation areas with specific ventilation controls must be established in health-care facilities. Those workers on high-risk areas may be required to wear respirator for protection All health-care workers considered to be at risk must be screened for TB infection.  Laboratory Safety Fire Safety: CLASS OF COMBUSTIBLE TYPE OF COMMENTS FIRE MATERIAL FIRE EXTIGUISHER A Ordinary combustible; wood, Pressurized water, Dry chemicals CLASS ABC paper, fabric/cloth, plastic and leaded stream dry chemicals B Flammable liquid and gases; Dry chemicals Do not use water to extinguish petroleum products, gasoline, CO2 thinners, greases Halon C Live electrical equipment; Dry chemicals Never use water. Dry chemicals may computers, analyzers, CO2 damage electrical equipment electrical wirings Halon CO2 leaves no residue and is a good choice for computers and analyzers D Combustible metals; Mg, Na, Sand or Ceramic barrier Leave to professional firefighters; only K, Al Metal X try to isolate burning metal from combustible surfaces with sand and or ceramic barrier E Arsenal None Allowed to burn out and nearby materials are protected K Cooking media; oil, Liquid designed to prevent vegetable, animal oil, fats splashing and cool the fire.  Laboratory Safety Fire Safety: Notes: MULTIPURPOSE DRY CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER: CLASS ABC CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER: CLASS BC Halogenated hydrocarbon extinguishers: recommended for use with computer equipment Inspect fire extinguishers __________ monthly to ensure they are mounted, visible, accessible, and charged. RACE PASS RESCUE – anyone in immediate PULL the pin danger AIM nozzle at the base of the fire ALARM – activate the institutional fire SQUEEZE the trigger alarm system SWEEP the nozzle side to side CONTAIN – close all doors to potentially affected areas EXTINGUISH/EXIT – if possible, attempt to extinguish the fire; exit the area Laboratory Safety NFPA Hazard Diamond: Developed a standard hazard identification system. Hazard Color 0 1 2 3 4 Health Blue No hazard can cause can cause temporary can cause can be lethal significant incapacitation or serious or irritation residual injury permanent injury Flammability Red Will not burn must be must be heated or in can be ignited will vaporize and preheated for high ambient temp to under almost all burn at normal ignition to occur burn ambient temps temp Reactivity Yellow Stable high temp makes violent chemical may explode may explode at unstable change at high temp or from high temp normal temp pressures or shock and pressure Special White OXY – oxidizer; ACID – acid; ALK – alkaline; COR – corrosive; W – use no water; - radioactive Notes: 0 no hazard 2 1 slight hazard 3 0 2 moderate hazard 3 serious hazard (extreme danger) 4 extreme hazard (death) Laboratory Safety Chemical Safety: SDS/MSDS – Safety Data Sheet a major source of safety information for employees who may use hazardous materials in their work employers are responsible for obtaining the SDS from the manufacturer Chemical Hygiene Plan A plan that provides procedures and work practices for regulating and reducing exposure of lab personnel to hazardous chemicals Chemical Hygiene Officer must be designated for any lab using hazardous chemicals Storage and Handling Chemicals Develop respect for all chemicals and have complete knowledge of their properties Store according to their chemical properties; arrangement depends on quantities of chemical needed and the nature or type of chemicals. It must not be based solely on alphabetical order The storeroom should be organized so that each class of chemicals is isolated in an area that is not used for routine work. Laboratory Safety Chemical Safety: STORAGE REQUIREMENTS SUBTANCE STORED SEPARATELY Flammable liquids Flammable solids Mineral acids Organic acids Caustics Oxidizers Perchloric acid Water-reactive substances Air-reactive substances Others Heat reactive substances requiring refrigeration Unstable substances (shock sensitive explosives) Note: If chemical spill occurs: 1. assist/evaluate personnel 2. confinement and clean up of the spill Laboratory Safety Chemical Safety: Flammable/ among the most hazardous materials in the clinical chemistry laboratory Combustible classified according to flash point; the temp at which sufficient vapor is given off to form an Chemicals ignitable mixture with air Flammable liquid – has a flash point below 37.8C (100F) Combustible liquids – has a flash point at or above 37.8C (100F) Corrosive injurious to the skin or eyes by direct contact or to the tissues of the respiratory and Chemicals gastrointestinal tract if inhaled or ingested external exposure to concentrated corrosives can cause severe burns and require immediate flushing with copious amount of clean water Reactive substances that under certain conditions can spontaneously explode or ignite or that Chemicals evolve heat or flammable or explosive gases Carcinogenic substances that have been determined to be cancer-causing agents Chemicals Laboratory Safety Waste Disposal: BLACK non - infectious DRY waste GREEN non – infectious WET waste YELLOW infectious and pathological YELLOW W/BLACK BAND chemical waste or with heavy metals ORANGE radioactive waste RED sharps