Safety Elements in Medical Laboratory Practice

504496
By Department of Defense
Uploaded on Youtube by PublicResourceOrg

Nobody needs to tell you how important your job at the hospital laboratory is, but what you do directly affects
the welfare of the patients in that hospital. You’re careful with your work. You realize that a mix-up can cause a great deal
of harm to those patients, but your health and welfare are also on the line. Because you work in an environment containing
a number of hazards, it is critical that you know how to safely deal with them.

Entering a hospital lab is like going into a warzone. There are all kinds of things that can hurt you: hazardous
chemicals, infectious diseases, gases, radioactivity, and even explosives. You must protect yourself and others against
these dangers. Your hospital takes great care to make the lab a safe place to work at. It does this by ensuring compliance
with applicable occupational safety and health regulations.

Many of the requirements for laboratory safety and health are based on Occupational Safety and Health
Administration’s Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratory Rules, also known as the OSHA lab standard.
One of the major requirements of this standard requires the use of a chemical hygiene plan. The chemical hygiene plan
covers the necessary work practices, procedures, and policies to ensure that employees are protected from potentially
hazardous chemicals. Among other requirements are employee training and information, hazard identification and
medical examination, proper protective gear is provided, and warning signs are posted, but you are the most important
part of the safe operation of a hospital lab. Only you can prevent injuries to yourself and your coworkers.

It all begins with knowing what the dangers are and that begins with you. Your clothes should not be made of a
high percentage of acetate or other highly flammable material. This is especially important when working around ether or
other highly flammable substances, as they can create static electricity which can send off sparks. Your shoes should
cover the entire foot. Do not wear dangling jewelry in the lab; it could get caught in the equipment. And if you have long
hair, secure it back and off-the-shoulder to keep it from shedding bacteria and to keep it from getting caught in moving
equipment. You should wash your hands every time you go in and out of the lab, and before and after contact with each
patient, chemicals, or equipment. Eating, drinking, smoking, and applying cosmetics or perfumes are strictly prohibited
in work areas. Ask your supervisor where these activities are permitted.

Protective equipment is provided for tasks involving risks to skin, eyes, and lungs. It is essential that you wear a
lab coat and use the proper protective equipment when working with hazardous materials or potentially infectious
specimens. When you work around equipment, know the proper procedures. Operate centrifuges only with the covers
closed and properly latched. And always place a cap or paraffin seal on a specimen tube before placing it into the
centrifuge. This prevents specimens from being sprayed aerialization (?). The centrifuge is one excellent example of why
long hair must be kept back and why dangling jewelry or ties must not be worn in the lab.

The autoclave presents several potential dangers. Before you open the autoclave, check to ensure the
temperature and pressure are normal, and the intake steam valve is off. To avoid boil-overs or explosions, loosen the
caps of containers as you place them in the autoclave, and don’t forget the autoclave tape. When placing items into the
autoclave, or when removing them, wear the proper protective gear: apron, face shield, and heat-retardant gloves.
Sudden exposure to room temperature air could cause glassware to break or explode. The gloves give you protection
against burns. Not only might the material being autoclaved be dangerously hot, the autoclave itself could be hot enough
to give you a serious burn. Take extra precautions with the steam emitted from the autoclave. It can permeate your gloves
after a very short time. Do not overload the autoclave. If you do, some of the material might not reach the temperatures
high enough to sterilize. To be certain the correct temperature has been reached and materials are sterilized, check the
autoclave tape when removing items.

Although the pipette is the simplest piece of equipment in the lab, the problems it can cause are no simple matter.
Many labs have automatic measuring devices that pipette, but if you do not have access to one, use a suction bulb. Always
wash the pipette after use. Wash the bulb if you draw fluid into it. Mouth-pipetting of substances is extremely dangerous
and is absolutely prohibited.

Infectious agents constitute a serious hazard in hospital labs, so for your protection, your lab applies universal
precautions which call for all specimens being treated as potentially infectious. To further guard against potentially
infectious agents, thoroughly familiarize yourself with the universal precautions contained in your activity exposure
control plan. There are many kinds of infectious agents which may be present in the hospital lab, and they may be
transmitted in a variety of ways. Some are airborne and can be acquired by simply breathing in the germs. This can happen
if the containers if the containers are not properly covered, or if you do not wear a mask or respirator. Uncap containers
only behind a protective barrier. Other infectious agents may be ingested into the mouth if safe pipetting procedures are
not followed or hands are not thoroughly washed. Still, other infectious may enter into the bloodstream by accidental
pricking of the skin by a needle or broken glass. Some microbes may enter through mucous membranes, particularly the
eyes, if contaminated hands are used to rub the eyes or to insert contact lenses. Of major concern are hepatitis and AIDS.
These viruses can cause serious illness and eventual death. If you will: (1) use the correct protective clothing and
equipment, (2) properly dispose of needles and other contaminated waste, (3) remember to remove contaminated gloves
after handling specimens, and (4) wash your hands thoroughly even though you wear your gloves, you will protect yourself
and others from acquiring any of these dangerous infections.

Warning signs indicate areas where radioactive materials are stored. Prior to entering these areas or handling any
radioactive materials, you must follow the correct procedures outlined in your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and
Federal Regulations. Familiarize yourself with the safety policies and applicable SOPs of the lab you work in. In the hospital
lab, as in any lab, working with chemicals is an everyday occurrence. Many of the chemicals are hazardous. Labels define
the different types of hazards corrosive, toxic, ignitable, and explosive. The labels contain essential information about
the safe handling of these dangerous chemicals, but they all tell what hazards are present with the use of the chemical,
and they all tell what precautionary measures you can take. You should learn to instantly recognize the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) Hazard Identification Diamond. Color and number codes are combined to provide essential
information about safe handling and storage procedures for a specific material. The color represents the kind of hazard:
blue for health; red for flammability; and yellow for reactivity; white is reserved for special instructions. The numbers 0
through 4 are used to indicate the degree of danger involved; 0, meaning the risk is relatively low, and 4, warning that a
serious danger is present when handling the material. You must have complete familiarity with proper procedures for the
handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals. Consult your material safety datasheets for specific instructions.
Never guess or rely on what you might remember from your high school chemistry class. Also, make sure you know where
emergency eye wash station and emergency showers are located in case a hazardous chemical gets in your eye or on your
skin. Learn how to operate these devices before an actual emergency occurs.

Be particularly cautious with explosive materials. Some of them have the power not only to destroy the lab and
you with it but can even reduce the entire hospital into rubble. Handle explosive materials with extreme care. Gases can
cause explosions or fires too. Place cylinders where they cannot be knocked over or damaged. Always keep restraints on
the cylinders securely tightened. A broken valve head can turn a cylinder into a missile capable of penetrating walls or
you.

Throughout the hospital lab, you will see warning signs and labels. They are there for your protection. Do not
ignore them or take them for granted. Read them carefully every time you work in a dangerous area or handle hazardous
materials. Fire is one of the most dangerous hazards in the lab. Ignitable and explosive materials, if they are not handled
properly, are a major cause of fires. To prevent fires, it is imperative that you know the correct procedures for handling
and storing these materials. In the event a fire does start, you must know what to do. Learn how to activate your fire alarm
systems and be sure you know proper reporting procedures. Also, familiarize yourself with the location of all fire
extinguishers so that you can get to one as quickly as possible should it become necessary. The fire blanket is an important
piece of personal equipment. If a person’s clothing catches on fire, you must be able to quickly locate the fire blanket and
know how to use it.

Hazardous materials are not the only possible cause of fires in lab. Electrical equipment, wiring, and switches are
also potential sources of danger. Make sure that all electrical devices are in proper working order. Regular maintenance
of equipment and prompt reporting of wiring or switch problems will help keep the prospects of a lab fire to a minimum.
Also, it is critical that you know what atmospheres created within the lab constitute fire hazards. Fumes and gases may
not be easily detectible when they are so common. But if they are ignitable or explosive, they can cause a serious situation.
Always be sure the atmosphere in the lab is safe before operating electrical equipment.

To help make your lab a safe place to work, remember the simple rules of good housekeeping: (1) keep the floors
clean and dry to prevent falls, (2) keep countertops clean with no unnecessary clutter, (3) dispose of broken glass
immediately, (4) put all materials and equipment away after use, (5) follow safe work procedures, (6) use the correct
protective clothing and equipment, and (7) know the proper ways to handle, store, and dispose of hazardous materials.
All these contribute to the safe operation of your lab. Should an accident occur, report it immediately. Familiarize yourself
with the correct reporting procedures for your lab. Also, report any unsafe work conditions you might observe. Remember,
take what immediate corrective action you can prior to leaving to report the unsafe condition. The best way for you to
be sure that you know all that you need to know to do your job safely is to know your lab’s policies covering safe work
procedures, but there are many other sources for information on safety in the lab. Of special importance are the
requirements established by OSHA, particularly those dealing with hazardous chemicals. OSHA requires every lab to have
a chemical hygiene plan and an officer responsible for adherence to OSHA standards. Procedures for handling hazardous
chemicals, the use of protective equipment, and disposal methods are among the many topics covered by OSHA standards.
Make yourself thoroughly familiar with these requirements, and know the details of your lab’s chemical hygiene plan.
Oher resources available to you provide information which can help you handle any task in the lab safely. Your supervisor
can tell you where to find OSHA requirements and other lab safety information. A safe hospital lab is the responsibility of
all who work there. It takes teamwork. If each of you does your part, you and your coworkers will always have the safest,
healthiest work environment possible, and you can go on helping save people’s lives.

Produced by: Health Sciences Media Division