Laboratory Safety and Regulations

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Chapter 2

• Laboratory Safety and Regulations

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• Introduction
• Clinical Chemistry can be very interesting but it
  can also involve some pretty nasty stuff !
• The chemical reagents that are use can be
  dangerous if not used properly
• Patient specimens must be handled with caution
  due to the possibility of infectious agents
• Everything must be labeled and stored
  appropriately
• Its essential to know the location and proper
  use of all safety equipment
• Its essential to know and have access to all
  printed information about safety policies and
  reagents
• Remember Always take time to be safe
  I dont like this job so much that I would put
  myself a risk I want you to be the same way

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Key Terms

• Airborne / Bloodborne pathogens
• Biohazard
• Carcinogen
• Chemical hygiene plan
• Corrosive
• Fire tetrahedron
• Hazardous material
• HEPA filter
• MSDS
• OSHA
• Radioactive
• Reactive chemical
• Standard precautions
• RACE

• Teratogen
• PPE
• Class A/B/C/D fire estinguishers
• PASS

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• Objectives
• Discuss the basic safety procedures used in a
  clinical laboratory
• Identify the hazards associated with chemical,
  biologic and radiological materials
• Identify and be able to use appropriate PPEs in
  the clinical lab
• Identify different types of fire extinguishers
  and their proper uses
• Discuss proper precautions when working with
  electrical equiptment, cryogenic materials,
  compressed gases and mechanical hazards
• Identify the proper disposal of various wastes
  generated in the clinical lab
• Discuss the documentation of accident reporting
  in the clinical lab

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• LABORATORY SAFETY AND REGULATIONS
• Lab risks
• Electrical
• Toxic vapors
• Compressed gasses
• Flammable liquids
• Radioactive materials ( not too common these days
  )
• Corrosives
• Mechanical
• Poisons
• Biological
• Always take time to be knowledgeable about
  laboratory safety concerns and practice proper
  safety procedures
• In most cases, safety is a combination of common
  sense , good behavior and housekeeping

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• OSHA ( Occupational Safety and Health Act )
• Federal law that mandates safe working conditions
  for workers ( even lab techs )
• OSHA may inspect work places for compliance with
  safety rules
• OSHA compliance is the law, not just a nice idea
• Mandatory Laboratory practices
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Formaldehyde
• Respiratory standards
• PPEs

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• Other Regulations and Guidelines
• Clean Water Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act
• JACHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of
  Health Care Organizations )

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• SAFETY AWARENESS
• Employer
• Provide and supervise safety methods, equipment
  and policies
• Employee
• Understand and practice established safety
  procedures
• Notify supervisors of unsafe conditions
• Bottom line Safety is everyones
  responsibility !!!

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• Labeling
• Everything must be labeled !!!
• Hazardous material must include all necessary
  safety information
• Diamond shaped, color coded NFPA ( National Fire
  Protection Act ) labels are required to identify
  the nature of hazardous material See
  example on page 30

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• SAFETY EQUIPTMENT
• Safety showers
• Eyewash stations
• Fire blankets
• Fire extinguishers
• Spill kits
• First aid kits
• Fume hoods
• Biosafety hoods
• Chemical storage cabinets
• PPEs ( Personal Protective Equipment )
• Safety glasses, splash shields, gloves, lab
  coats, HEPA filters

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• BIOLOGICAL SAFETY
• Standard Precautions ( Universal Precautions )
  All biological
  specimens must be considered potentially
  infectious
• Always use required PPEs when handling
  biohazardous material
• Cap specimens that are being centrifuged
• Mouth pipeting is NEVER permitted under any
  circumstances
• Spills must be cleaned using proper technique
• OSHA mandates that labs provide written
  bloodborne and airborne ( TB ) safety
  policies
• Annual TB screening ( PPD test ) for hospital
  employees is mandatory

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• CHEMICAL SAFETY
• Hazard Communication
• The lab, by law, must provide written policies
  for the safe use of hazardous chemicals ( OSHA
  regulation )
• Material Safety Data Sheet ( MSDS )
• A list of all safety information created by the
  manufacturer for each laboratory reagent (
  biological or chemical )
• The lab is responsible to collect and make
  available MSDS information for all reagents and
  chemicals
• Employees must have ready access to MSDS
  information

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• Laboratory Standard
• Lab must have written Chemical Hygiene Plan that
  provides specific work practices for hazardous
  chemicals
• Storage and handling of Chemicals

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• FIRE SAFETY
• Classification of Fires
• Class A Paper, wood, plastic, fabrics
• Class B Flammable liquids gasses
• Class C Electrical
• Class D Combustible metals
• Fire extinguishers are labeled to indicate which
  type of fire they combat
• Most extinguishers utilize a dry chemical that
  combats A, B and C fires
• Operation of fire extinguishers ( PASS )
• Pull Pull safety pin out
• Aim Aim nozzle at the base of fire
• Squeeze Squeeze trigger
• Sweep Sweep across the base of the fire

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• FIRE SAFETY
• Know the location of
• Fire alarm pull stations
• Extinguishers
• Fire blankets
• Know the telephone number to report fires
• RACE
• Rescue Remove patients from immediate harm
• Alarm Pull fire alarm
• Contain Close doors and windows
• Extinguish Extinguish fire

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• DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
• Chemical Waste
• Many chemical products, with no basic rule for
  disposal except
• Know the SOP for the disposal of every substance
• You cant assume that everything goes down the
  drain !
• Biohazardous Waste
• Disposal of biohazardous waste is regulated by
  law
• Waste containers must be clearly labeled
• Sharps ( needles, blades, glass ) must be placed
  in hard containers
• Infectious wastes should be autoclaved before
  disposal

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• ACCIDENT DOCUMENTATION AND INVESTIGATION
• All accidents must be immediately reported to a
  supervisor
• Accident Investigation forms must be completed by
  the employee and employer
• OSHA regulations require accident records to be
  kept 30 years