MT 11 LAB: Laboratory Hazards and Safety
- Semen - Vaginal secretions - Cerebrospinal fluid - Pleural fluid - Peritoneal fluid - Amniotic fluid - Saliva - Any body fluid visibly contaminated with blood
Biological Hazards such as HIV, HBV, HCV can be transmitted through contact with infected blood and body fluids including:
- Sexual contact - Sharing of hypodermic needles - Puncture from contaminated needles, glass or sharps - Contact between broken skin or damaged skin to an infected body fluid - Contact of the mucous membranes with infected body fluids
Bloodborne diseases are transmitted by:
- Physical Hazard - Chemical Hazard - Biological Hazard
Classification of Hazards in the Laboratory
Safety can
Designed to safely relieve internal pressure when subjected to fire exposure
- In the event of emergency situation, dial the emergency hotline number. By doing so the department will be alerted of the situation. - Record the names and phone numbers of the appropriate personnel to be contacted during emergency cases. - Be familiar with the location and use of the following safety devices: a. safety shower b. fire blanket c. eyewash station d. fire alarm e. first aid kit f. fume hood g. spill clean up kit h. fire extinguisher - Clean up all spills immediately.
Emergency Procedures
- Hazardous to Aquatic Environment (Acute/Chronic) - Hazardous to the Ozone Layer
Environmental Hazards(2 classes)
- Be aware of ignition sources in your laboratory area (heat source, electrical equipment). - Do not store flammable liquids in standard refrigerators. Explosion-proof refrigerators are needed for storage of flammable liquids - Store flammable liquids in appropriate safety cabinets/safety cans. - Make sure that all electrical cords are in good condition. All electrical outlets should be grounded and should accommodate a three pronged plug.
Fire Prevention
- alarms - Fire Extinguishers - Fire Blankets - Chemical Spill Clean-Up Kits
Fire Safety Equipment
near acids
Flammable materials should never be stored near?
- Personal protective equipment - Always wear PPE - Replace PPE when its torn, punctured or soiled - Washing of hands before and after laboratory work - Standard precautions should be used and treat all body fluids as potentially infectious. - Contaminated surfaces, materials, tools, equipment and other objects should be decontaminated with 1:10 dilution of household bleach and then sterilized after decontamination.
General Guidelines
- Be prepared. Think safety first. - Conduct yourself in a responsible manner at all times. - Always follow the teacher's instructions and only perform a procedure at the presence of the instructor. - Follow all written and oral instructions. - Perform the assigned activities only!
General Guidelines 1-5
- Do not touch any equipment, chemicals, or other materials until told to do so. - Do not eat food, drink beverages, or chew gum in the laboratory. - Do not use laboratory glassware as food or beverage containers. - Notify the laboratory instructor of any medical problem that may affect laboratory work. - Report all accidents to your teacher immediately, even if you think it is only a minor one.
General Guidelines 6-10
- Acute Toxicity (Oral/Dermal/Inhalation) - Skin Corrosion/Irritation - Serious Eye Damage/Eye Irritation - Respiratory or Skin Sensitization - Germ Cell Mutagenicity - Carcinogenicity - Reproductive Toxicity - Target Organ Systemic Toxicity - Single Exposure - Target Organ Systemic Toxicity - Repeated Exposure - Aspiration Toxicity
Health Hazards(10 classes)
- Eliminate safety hazards by maintaining laboratory work areas in order. - Keep the laboratory floor dry at all times. Immediately attend spills of any fluid that may cause accidents.
Housekeeping
- Eye Protection: Goggles - Protective clothing - Hand protection - Foot protection
Personal Protective Equipment
- Use fume hood whenever possible when dispensing or pipetting dangerous chemicals - Safety goggles/glasses with side shields should be worn at all times in the laboratory - Fluid-resistant laboratory coats (buttoned up)will be worn at all times in the laboratory and removed when the student leaves the laboratory - Gloves will be worn at all times when handling blood and other body fluids and removed at the end of the laboratory period. Gloves should be dispose properly to the respected trash bin.
Personal Safety
- Keep work area clean and free of clutter. - Wear appropriate PPE. - Observe proper hand washing before and after work. - Disinfect countertops each day. - Discard soiled countertop liners. - Use biological safety hood if available when handling body fluids. - Know where all the safety equipment is located and how to use it in case if it's needed. - Avoid sitting on laboratory working tables or benches.
Personal Safety Procedures
- Explosives - Flammable Gases - Aerosols - Oxidizing Gases - Gases Under Pressure - Flammable Liquids - Flammable Solids - Self-Reactive Substances - Pyrophoric Liquids - Pyrophoric Solids - Self-Heating Substances - Substances which, in contact with water emit flammable gases - Oxidizing Liquids - Oxidizing Solids - Organic Peroxides - Corrosive to Metals - Desensitized explosives
Physical Hazards(17 classes)
Occupational Safety Health Act
Recommends that all laboratories provide written bloodborne and airborne (TB) safety policies
- Review and read all reagents in the MSDS manual that will be used in the experiment before using and note their hazards and precautions. - Know where the MSDS manuals are stored. - Never directly smell any substances . - Do not perform or do mouth pipetting when filling the pipets. - Do not return any unused chemicals to the original container to minimize the risk of contamination. - All chemical spills should be cleaned up immediately with the necessary precautions. - Any broken glassware should be disposed off in the appropriate container. - Disposal of chemicals should be followed as per laboratory instructor's advise.
Safety Procedures for Chemicals
be cool enough to prevent ignition in the event the vapor mixes with air
Storage areas should be?
- Mechanical Hazard - Electrical Hazard - Fire Hazard
TYPES OF PHYSICAL HAZARD
TREAT ALL BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS AS POTENTIALLY INFECTIOUS
Universal Precaution
- Dispose all biohazardous substances in biohazard bags or trash bin. - Dispose of swab wrappings, band aid wrappings, used paper towels, kit boxes, and any other non-biohazardous waste in the regular trash bin. - Dispose all used needles, pipettes, broken glass, and slides in a plastic biohazardous sharp containers. - Dispose of all used tubes in red biohazard bags or trash bin. - Dispose of all bacterial and fungal culture plates in yellow biohazard bags or trash bin. - Do not throw non-biohazardous waste into the red biohazard bags or trash bin.
Waste Collection
R - RESCUE anyone in danger A - Activate the nearest fire ALARM and call for fire response C - CONFINE the fire by closing the doors E- EXTINGUISH the small fire or evacuate / if fire cannot be extinguished, then EVACUATE
What to do when fire occurs? (RACE)
Laboratory Safety
a careful process, with the goal of preventing injuries and diseases from occurring among students, scientists, laboratory staff and the community.
Corrosive
a chemical substance that can destroy or burn living tissue, and can corrode (sulfuric acid)
Toxic/Poisonous
a chemical that can cause death if inhaled, ingested/absorbed by the skin (Concentrated HCl, Muriatic acid)
Flammable
a chemical that will burn if exposed to an open flame
Explosive
a chemical that will explode to heat or flame
safety can
an approved container of no more then five gallon capacity. It has a spring-closing lid and spout cover, and is designed to safely relieve pressure build up within the container
volatility of a material
an indication of how easily the liquid or solid will pass into the vapor stage
Laboratory Hazard
anything that has the capacity to cause damage or injury
Fire Extinguishers
are classified according to a particular fire type and are given the same letter and symbol classification as that of fire
Alarms
are designed to alert the endangered personnel
alarms
can be motorized bells or wall mountable sounders or horns
Irritant
can cause inflammation upon contact with the skin or mucous membrane, e.g. xylene
Laboratory Chemical Fume Hoods
capture, contain and expel emissions generated by hazardous chemicals via the laboratory exhaust system
- carcinogenic - toxic - corrosive - irritant - sensitizer - flammable - reactive
chemicals considered hazardous
- HIV - HBV - HCV
example of Bloodborne pathogens
Treponema pallidum
example of bacteria
- Bloodborne pathogens - Parasite - Bacteria
example of biological hazards
Plasmodium
example of parasite
- broken/cracked/chipped glasswares - leaking glasswares - improper handling and manipulation of equipment used in the laboratory procedure
examples of mechanical hazard
material safety data sheet
gives information on the potential hazards and how to work safely with the chemical product
CHEMICAL HAZARD
hazards caused by chemicals used in the laboratory
BIOLOGICAL HAZARD
hazards caused by living microorganisms that can infect humans and animals
Mechanical Hazard
hazards due to materials and equipment used in a laboratory procedure
Fire Hazard
hazards encountered in the laboratory when handling biodegradable materials and volatile chemicals/gases are exposed to heat or any source of flame
Electrical Hazard
hazards mainly due to electricity supplying the equipment, overloaded electrical circuits, improperly labeled electrical sockets, chipped electrical wires, laboratory equipment not grounded or regularly maintained
Multipurpose Fire Extinguisher
highly recommended against type A, B and C fires
Adequate ventilation should be provided to prevent vapor build up
how much ventilation should be provided for storage and why?
- apply neutralizer or sodium bicarbonate to the perimeter of the spill - mix thoroughly until fizzing and evolution of gas ceases - transfer the mixture to a plastic bag, tie shut, fill out a waste label and place in a fume hood
how to clean acid spill
- Apply activated charcoal to the perimeter of the spill - Mix thoroughly until material is dry and no evidence of solvent remains - Transfer absorbed solvent to a plastic bag, tie shut, and place in a fume hood
how to clean solvent spill
- all sharps, including needles and broken glass will be disposed in a labeled plastic sharps container - needles may be recapped only by using a mechanical device and may not be broken, cut or bent. - sharps containers must be puncture-resistant, leak-proof on sides and bottom, and labeled biohazard.
how to dispose sharps
storage of flammable and corrosives in the laboratory should be limited to as small quantity as possible. They should be stored in ventilated cabinets
how to store chemicals
P - Pull the pin in the handle A - Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire S - Squeeze the lever slowly S - Sweep from side to side
how to use a fire extinguisher (PASS)
Flammability
is a measure of how easily a gas, liquid, or solid will ignite and how quickly the flame will spread once ignited
Chemical Spill Clean-Up Kits
laboratories are equipped with this equipment for various types of spills. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment when cleaning the spills
Fire Blankets
laboratory personnel are discouraged from using this equipment as a way to extinguish the fire
- Laboratory Chemical Fume Hoods - Chemical Storage Cabinets - Individual Storage Containers - Safety can - Refrigerators - Safety Showers and Eye Wash Station
laboratory safety equipments
material safety data sheet
meaning of MSDS
Occupational Safety Health Act
meaning of OSHA
volatility
measured by the boiling point of the material (the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the material is equal to the atmospheric pressure)
Safety Showers and Eye Wash Station
provide an effective means of treatment in the event an accident wherein the chemicals spilled or splashed onto the skin or clothing
Chemical Storage Cabinets
provide safe and convenient way of storing containers of liquids including those in safety cans.
Safety Showers and Eye Wash Station
provides on-the-spot decontamination
- each refrigerator and freezer must be monitored daily to ensure proper functioning. - each refrigerator and freezer must be labeled: "No Food or beverages may be stored in this refrigerator" - containers placed in the refrigerator will be completely sealed or capped, securely placed and permanently labeled - use caps or paraffin film to cover
refrigerator rules
- safety shower - first aid kit - fire blanket - fume hood - eyewash station - spill clean up kit - fire alarm - fire extinguisher
safety devices
Individual Storage Containers
selecting the best means of storage for chemical reagents depends on the reagent's compatibility with the container
Fire Blankets
should be used as a mean to keep shock victims warm
freezer temperature
temperature ranges from -26 to 0 degrees Celsius (-15 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit)
refrigerator temperatures
temperatures ranges from 2 to 7 degrees Celsius (36-45 degrees Fahrenheit)
flash point
the temperature at which a liquid or volatile solid gives off vapor in quantities significant enough to form an ignitable mixture with air
pyrophoric
they can ignite spontaneously with no external source of ignition
flash point and volatility(boiling point)
two properties of a material that can indicate its flammability
Type D fire extinguisher
type of extinguisher for combustible metals: - magnesium - titanium - sodium - lithium - potassium
Type A fire extinguisher
type of extinguisher for combustibles: - wood - cloth - paper - rubber - plastics
Type C fire extinguisher
type of extinguisher for energized electrical equipment: - electrophoresis
Type B fire extinguisher
type of extinguisher for flammable liquids: - oil - grease - paint thinners
- explosive - flammable - toxic/poisonous - corrosive - irritant
types of chemical hazard
blood, urine, sputum and other body fluids
types of specimens that carry infectious microorganism
Refrigerators
used to cool samples or specimens for preservation
Fire Extinguishers
uses monoammonium phosphate which is a dry chemical that is able to quickly put out the fire
water
what not to use when cleaning up flammable liquid spills
Use gloves and safety goggles
what to use when handling flammable liquids or vapors
can be found in the MSDS under Fire and Explosion Data
where can Flammability information be found
can be found in the physical properties
where can Flash point and boiling point information be found
in conventional refrigerators. Sparks generated by internal lights or thermostats may ignite flammable material inside the refrigerator causing explosion hazard
where should we avoid storing flammable materials?
Dispensing of flammable or combustible liquids should only be done under a fume hood or in an approved storage room
where to dispense flammable or combustible liquids
the vapor from the liquids are combustible
why are flammable liquids not actually flammable
Safety Showers and Eye Wash Station
will be used if there is an accident of chemical splashing to the eyes or face.
