Laboratory safety

There are many exposures in the laboratory that pose a hazard to your health and
you may have never considered them as a hazard before.

Laboratory safety is the key to reducing injury and illness.

WHY IS LABORATORY SAFETY IMPORTANT?

TO PREVENT:

adverse health effects from exposure to chemicals

exposure to organisms, diseases, etc. in laboratories

laboratory equipment hazards - if not maintained properly

Agency Information:

Lets take a look at the different agencies that are involved in safety.

National Institute of Health (NIH):

in charge of laboratories that use or contain recombinant DNA. They specify the practices
for constructing and handling the DNA.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In charge of laboratories that use or contain infectious agents.

They are focused on protecting personnel and the laboratory environmental from
exposure to infectious agents.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):.

OSHA is in charge of monitoring work conditions and eliminating physical and health
hazards at the work place.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

is in charge of the wastes.

Many hazardous wastes are used in research laboratories, that are regulated and
must be properly decontaminated and disposed of.

Introduction:

There may be more than one exit which could be critical in the case of an
emergency.
 Your supervisor will go over the emergency action plan including the escape route
procedures for your room.

It is also recommended to be aware of the fire extinguishers in location to your

laboratory.

Know where the fire alarm is in proximity to your laboratory.

Many laboratories contain hazardous substances.

A hazardous substance :- is defined as a material/substance that poses a

physical or health hazard. This includes both chemicals and biological agents.

There are differences between a physical hazard and a health hazard. Lets take
a look.

A health hazard has the following characteristics:-

Carcinogen

Toxic or highly toxic

Reproductive Toxins

Irritants

Corrosives
 Sensitizers

Hepatotoxins

Nephrotoxins

Neurotoxins

A physical hazard has the following characteristics:

Explosive

Flammable

Oxidizer

Pyrophoric

Organic peroxide

Compressed gas

Combustible liquid

Unstable (Reactive)

Water-reactive

When physical hazards and health hazards exist, it is very important to know
where the eye wash/safety shower is located.

First aid kits have a variety of quick relief items. If your lab has a first aid kit, find
out where it is.

If more than first aid is needed, it is recommended to go to Student Health

Services for further treatment.

Each laboratory has a telephone in a designated area for use. The emergency
contact numbers are posted near the phone in every laboratory.

Types of hazards in histopathology lab:

Each lab is faced with different hazards. There could be

exposure to:-
 Hazards

Biological Mechanical Chemical Fire

Hazards Hazards Hazards Hazards

Biological (Infectious) hazards:

For a substance to be infectious, it must contain enough pathogens cause an
infection when a host is exposed to it.
Frozen sections, gross dissection, autopsy specimens and human clinical material
for cytology are source of hazard in pathology lab.
Types of hazards
A biological hazard:-
includes an organism or material of biological origin that could potentially cause
harm to humans, animals, or plants.
An infectious agent :-
is an organism capable of producing infection or disease in human, animal or
plant.
Chemicals hazard:
Chemicals can pose a significant hazard..
Chemicals can release hazardous fumes which not only harm the environment,
but they can be a major health threat.
They must be handled carefully and disposed of properly.
Chemical Hygiene:
The emergency procedures for chemical accidents is: to first evacuate the area
and then notify your supervisor.
It is important to know as much about a chemical as possible.
Labeling is also required for chemicals that are in a secondary container unless it is
to be used within an 8 hr period.
The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for an 8 hr. shift.
E.g. formaldehyde which exceeds 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air
(0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA
Labeling is also required for chemicals that are in a secondary container unless it is
to be used within an 8 hr period.
The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for an 8 hr. shift.
 E.g. formaldehyde which exceeds 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air
(0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA
Labeling is also required for chemicals that are in a secondary container unless it is
to be used within an 8 hr period.
The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for an 8 hr. shift.
E.g. formaldehyde which exceeds 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air
(0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS):
So what is an MSDS? An MSDS
is a document that relays vital information about certain chemicals and
biological agents.
Why is an MSDS important?
When you know characteristics about a substance it can aid in precautionary
measure to take when using it.
An MSDS Must Be on File & Available for Each Chemical in the Lab.
An MSDS lists:
Product Identity
Hazardous Ingredients
Physical Data
Fire & Explosion Hazard Data
Reactivity Data
Health Hazard Data
Precautions for Safe Handling & Use
Control Measures
Mechanical hazards
Consist mainly of:
Sharp instruments ( e.g microtome blades, razor, scalp and needles)
Broken glassware
Electrical hazards
Lab Safety
The following guidelines have been established to minimize the hazards in a
laboratory setting.
It is important to take responsibility for your actions.
As the hazards increase, the risks increase, and the responsibility must increase.
Lab Attire:
No open-toed shoes
No shorts
Restrain hair when working with hazardous materials
Remove protective clothing in public
Use the proper Personal Protective Equipment for the job
 Personal Habits:
Personal habits play a large role in minimizing hazards. The following measures
must be taken:
Do not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum or apply cosmetics, or remove/insert contact
lenses while in the laboratory
Do not store food in the lab or in chemical refrigerator
Do not use mouth pipette
Wash hands before leaving laboratory or after handling contaminated material
Safe Practices:
These safe practices should be followed to ensure safe working conditions:
Do not use chipped or cracked glassware
When working with hazardous materials, have a second person nearby
Know emergency procedures
Keep the laboratory neat and clean
Use hazardous chemicals under a fume hood and biohazardous materials under a
biosafety cabinet (BSC)
Decontaminate as needed
Personal Protective Equipment:
PPE is short for personal protective equipment.
the equipment that is necessary to protect yourself from hazardous and
biohazardous materials.
PPE could be gloves, safety glasses, lab coat, shoe covers, respirator or any other
item that could protect you from dangerous materials that you may encounter in
the lab.
Disposal of Sharps:
The sharps container must be labeled either with Biohazard or Infectious
Waste.
Do not over fill the sharps container.
Safety Equipment: include the following barriers
Fume hood
Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC)
Autoclave
Decontamination is the removal or neutralization of toxic agents or the use of
physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy living organisms.
This includes both sterilization and disinfection.
Handling waste tissue:
According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) & EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency) there are 4 types waste recognize as infectious:
microbiologic or cultural material
Pathologic material
Blood
 Sharp object
All tissue waste and contact materials should be disposed at biohazard bags.
Specimen container should be labeled with biohazard warning if they contain
potentially infectious material (unfixed material).
Steam sterilization or incineration of all waste except pathologic waste; only
incineration
Personnel involved in disposal of waste material should be trained to appropriate
handling and disposal method

Types of Labels:

There are a variety of ways to label containers.

NFPA: Labeling system of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The labels are
diamond-shaped and color coded.
Blue indicates the health hazard.
Red indicates the fire hazard.
Yellow indicates the reactivity hazard.

White gives special information such as water or oxidizer incompatibility.

In each field, the degree of the hazard is rated from 0 to 4, with 4 being the greatest
hazard and 0 indicating no significant hazard.

HMIS: Another labeling system that is similar to the NFPA system but in bar graph format.
Same colors and numbers, except the white area is generally reserved for listing any PPE
that may be needed when working with that chemical.

DOT: Labeling system of the Department of Transportation. These labels are typically
found on the outside of shipping cartons and are color-coded with the hazards depicted
by readily identifiable symbols. These universal symbols are sometimes found on a
container's label as well.
DOT Symbols Are Usually Found on Shipping Cartons