Laboratory safety Expert – Dr. Ovhal sir

Laboratories are dangerous places

• Microbiological hazards - pathogenic E.coli, Salmonella, TB, HIV, Hepatitis C, Herpes, influenza…

• Chemical hazards - poisons, explosive and flammable chemicals…

• Physical Hazards - sharps, fire, electrocution, machinery, equipment, extreme heat and cold, UV radiation, slips, trips, falls…

How can we make this work

environment safe?• Rules and regulations, training and competency

testing

• Common sense

• Expert knowledge

• Experience/ learning from past incidents and accidents

General Laboratory Safety Rules

• General Behaviour

• Segregation of activities

• Proper use of symbols & warning signs

• Food and drink consumption and storage

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Clothing, footwear and hair

• Quality instruments with regular maintenance

Protection of staff

• Qualification

• Immunization

• Contact card

• Laboratory manuals

• Training

• Pregnancy & sickness (e.g. allergic/asthamatic)

• First aid

• Emergency equipments (e.g. fire extinguishers)

Various steps in hazards exposure

• Collections & transport of specimens

• Sample processing

• Laboratory chemicals & electrical hazards

• Sample & other discard materials

• Collections & transport of specimens

▫ Proper labeling

▫ Timely transport

▫ Air tight containers

▫ Minimal use of sharps

▫ Proper handling

• Sample processing

▫ PPE (personal protective equipments) before handling specimen

▫ Careful opening & closing of container

▫ Use of safety cabinet

▫ Proper use of equipments like Loop, Lamp, Centrifuge

▫ Hand washing after finishing work

Personal protective equipment

Hazard groups

Group 1. organisms most unlikely to cause human disease

Group 2. organisms may cause human disease & hazards to lab workers but unlikely to spread in community & effective treatment or prophylaxis

Group 3. organisms may cause severe human disease, presents a serious hazard to workers & pose a risk to spread in community but there is effective treatment or prophylaxis

Group 4. organisms may cause severe human disease, presents a serious hazard to workers & pose high risk to spread in community & there is no effective treatment or prophylaxis

• Containment levels

▫ Containment Level 1 – working with organisms from hazard group 1 no special care to be taken

▫ Containment Level 2 – pathogens fall in hazard 2 & must be handled in containment level 2

Easy to clean with adequate space

Limited access

Gowns & gloves

Autoclave for treatment & disposal of waste

Class 1/2 microbiological safety cabinet

▫ Containment level 3 – work with category 3 hazard pathogens

Isolated area with bio hazard sign

Restricted access

Continuous ventilation & HEPA filters

Class 2 or class 3 safety cabinets

Own set of incubators, centrifuge, refrigerators etc

Gowns must be autoclaved after use

▫ Containment level 4 – the strictest category for working with hazard group 4

Isolated area with buffer zone

Biohazard warning signs & instructions

Full PPE gear with respirators

Sophisticated control of air movement

Use of sealed class 3 safety cabinets

Regular disinfection of equipments like incubators & safety cabinets

Regular fumigation

Respirator

Microbiological safety cabinets

• Class I

• Class I

Class II

• Class III

Disinfection of cabinets

• Method A – use of 25 ml formalin ( 40% formaldehyde) with use of vaporizer

• Method B – use of 35 ml formalin + 10 g potassium permanganate

▫ Cabinets sealed for overnight or at least for 5 hrs

▫ Warning sign placed over it

▫ Switch on the fan & slightly open the front pannel

Disinfection of incubators

• By using Methyl alcohol

Mishaps with infective materials

• Notify accidental exposure like splash, cuts & puncture

• Immediate & proper first aid

• PEP (post exposure prophylaxis)

• Spillages – to be cleaned with proper use of disinfectants

▫ Hypochlorites (1%) – weak 1000 p.p.m. available Cl2 for routine surface disinfection

▫ Hypochlorites (10%) – weak 10000 p.p.m. available Cl2 for blood spills & virology

▫ Alcohol (70%) for skin disinfection

Post exposure prophylaxis

Laboratory mechanical, electrical &

chemicals hazards

• Centrifuge related accidents

• Faulty equipments & electrocution

• Short circuit fires & burns

• Chemical spillage like concentrated acid or alkali

• Chemical inhalational injury

• Chemical burns

Disposal of laboratory materials

• Blood and body fluids (Regulated medical waste)

▫ Treated with bleach or autoclaved and put down the sanitary sewer.

• Microbiological Waste including Biosafety Level 1, 2 and 3 organisms: (Regulated medical waste)

▫ Autoclaved at 121 °C. (Autoclaves are tested weekly using bio indicators Geobacillusstearothermophilus) or

▫ chemically treated and put down sanitary sewer.

Disposal of laboratory materials

• Laboratory solid waste – collected & transported to hospital waste management in proper color coded bags

Thank You