Laboratory Safety

APOLONIO ALECKSANDR T. MOLINA, RMT, MSMT

Signage and Labeling

 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

developed a standard hazards-
identification system (diamond-shaped,
color- coded symbol)
 health hazards (blue quadrant), flammable
hazards (red quadrant), reactivity/stability
hazards (yellow quadrant), and other
special information (white quadrant).
 magnitude of severity, graded from a low
of 0 to a high of 4
SAFETY EQUIPMENT

 All laboratories are required to have safety showers, eyewash

stations, and fire extinguishers and to periodically test and
inspect the equipment for proper operation
 It is recommended that safety showers deliver 30 to 50 gallons of
water per minute at 20 to 50 psi.
 Other items that must be available for personnel include fire
blankets, spill kits, and first aid supplies.
 Mechanical pipetting devices must be used for manipulating
all types of liquids in the laboratory, including water. Mouth
pipetting is strictly prohibited.
Fume hoods

 Fume hoods are required to expel noxious and

hazardous fumes from chemical reagents.
 The velocity at the face of the hood (with the sash in
normal operating position) must be 100 to 120 feet per
minute.
 The hood should never be operated with the sash fully opened.
 Smoke testing is recommended to locate no flow or
turbulent areas in the working space.
 Biosafety cabinets
 Biohazard hoods
remove particles
that may be
harmful to the
employee who is
working with
infective biologic
specimens.
 The Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)
and the National
Institutes of Health
have described
four levels of
biosafety
 Safety cabinets are
required for the
storage of
flammable liquids,
and only specially
designed,
explosion-proof
refrigerators should
be used to store
flammable
materials.
 Personal Protective Equipment

 The parts of the body most frequently subject to injury in the

clinical laboratory are the eyes, skin, and respiratory and
digestive tracts
 Safety glasses, goggles, visors, or work shields protect the eyes
and face from splashes and impact.
 Gloves and rubberized sleeves protect the hands and arms when
using caustic chemicals.
 Lab coats, preferably with knit-cuffed sleeves, should be full
length and buttoned and made of liquid-resistant material.
 Respirators with high- efficiency particulate air
(HEPA) filters must be worn when engineering
controls are not feasible, such as when working
directly with patients with tuberculosis (TB) or
when performing procedures that may
aerosolize specimens of patients with a
suspected or confirmed case of TB.
BIOLOGIC SAFETY

 General Considerations
 Allspecimen should be treated with universal
precautions
 PPEs must be worn
 Hand hygiene is essential
Spills

 Cleanup includes the following recommendations:

 Wear appropriate protective equipment.
 Use mechanical devices to pick up broken glass or other sharp
objects.
 Absorb the spill with paper towels, gauze pads, or tissue.
 Clean the spill site using a common aqueous detergent.
 Disinfect the spill site using approved disinfectant or 10% bleach,
using appropriate contact time.
 Rinse the spill site with water.
 Dispose of all materials in appropriate biohazard containers.
Blood-borne Pathogens

 hepatitis, acquired immunodeficiency

syndrome (AIDS), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or
other potentially infectious diseases
Airborne Pathogens

 TB isolation areas with specific ventilation

controls must be established in health care
facilities. Those workers in high-risk areas may be
required to wear a respirator for protection.
CHEMICAL SAFETY

 Material Safety Data Sheet

 MSDS is a major source of safety information for employees
who may use hazardous materials in their occupations.
 Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in
Laboratories, also known as the laboratory standard, was
enacted in May 1990 to provide laboratories with specific
guidelines for handling hazardous chemicals.
MSDS information requirements includes the following:

 Product name and identification  Spill and disposal procedures

 Hazardous ingredients  PPE recommendations
 Permissible exposure limit (PEL)  Handling
 Physical and chemical data  Emergency and first aid procedures
 Health hazard data and  Storage and transportation
carcinogenic potential precautions
 Primary routes of entry  Chemical manufacturer’s name,
 Fire and explosion hazards address, and telephone number

 Reactivity data  Special information section

Chemical hygiene plan

 This plan provides procedures and work practices for

regulating and reducing exposure of laboratory
personnel to hazardous chemicals.
 Hazardous chemicals are those that pose a physical or
health hazard from acute or chronic exposure.
Procedures describing how to protect employees
against teratogens (substances that affect cellular
development in a fetus or embryo), carcinogens, and
other toxic chemicals must be described in the plan.
 Storage and Handling of Chemicals

 Arrangements for the

storage of chemicals will
depend on the quantities
of chemicals needed and
the nature or type of
chemicals.
 Storage should not be
based solely on
alphabetical order
because incompatible
chemicals may be stored
next to each other and
react chemically.
Flammable/Combustible Chemicals

 classified according to flash point, which is the

temperature at which sufficient vapor is given off to
form an ignitable mixture with air.

 A flammable liquid has a flash point below 37.8°C

(100°F) and combustible liquids have a flash point at or
above 37.8°C (100°F).
 Corrosive chemicals are injurious to the skin or eyes by
direct contact or to the tissue of the respiratory and
gastrointestinal tracts if inhaled or ingested.

 Typical examples include acids (acetic, sulfuric, nitric,

and hydrochloric) and bases (ammonium hydroxide,
potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide).
 Reactive chemicals are substances that, under certain
conditions, can spontaneously explode or ignite or that
evolve heat or flammable or explosive gases.
 Strong acids and bases with water
 Alkali metal with water or acids
 Mixture of oxidizing and reducing agents
 Carcinogens are substances that have been
determined to be cancer-causing agents.
 Benzidineis a common example of a known
carcinogen.
Chemical Spills

 The first step should be

to assist/evacuate
personnel, and then
confinement and
cleanup of the spill can
begin.
 RADIATION SAFETY

 Equipment often
emits a variety of
wavelengths of
electromagnetic
radiation that must
be protected
against through
engineered
shielding or use of
PPE
 FIRE SAFETY

 Fire is basically a chemical

reaction that involves the
rapid oxidation of a
combustible material or fuel,
with the subsequent
liberation of heat and light.
 three basic elements (heat,
air, or fuel)
Classification of Fires

 Class A: ordinary combustible solid materials, such as

paper, wood, plastic, and fabric
 Class B: flammable liquids/gases and combustible
petroleum products
 Class C: energized electrical equipment
 Class D: combustible/reactive metals, such as
magnesium, sodium, and potassium
Types and Applications of Fire
Extinguishers
 Electrical Hazards

 Use only explosion-proof equipment in  Never operate electrical equipment with

hazardous atmospheres. wet hands.
 Be particularly careful when operating high-  Know the exact location of the electrical
voltage equipment, such as electrophoresis control panel for the electricity to your work
apparatus. area.
 Use only properly grounded equipment  Use only approved extension cords and do
(three-prong plug). not overload circuits. (Some local
regulations prohibit the use of any extension
 Check for frayed electrical cords.
cord.)
 Promptly report any malfunctions or
 Have ground checks and other periodic
equipment producing a “tingle” for repair.
preventive maintenance performed on
 Do not work on “live” electrical equipment. equipment.
 Compressed Gases Hazards

 Know the gas that you will use.  Make certain that acetylene tanks are
properly piped (the gas is incompatible
 Store tanks in a vertical position.
with copper tubing).
 Keep cylinders secured at all times.
 Do not force a “frozen” or stuck cylinder
 Never store flammable liquids and valve.
compressed gases in the same area.
 Use a hand truck to transport large tanks.
 Use the proper regulator for the type of
 Always check tanks on receipt and then
gas in use.
periodically for any problems such as
 Do not attempt to control or shut off gas leaks.
flow with the pressure relief regulator.
 Make certain that the cylinder is properly
 Keep removable protection caps in place labeled to identify the contents.
until the cylinder is in use.
 Empty tanks should be marked “empty.”
Cryogenic Materials Hazards

 Liquid nitrogen is probably one of the most

widely used cryogenic fluids (liquefied gases) in
the laboratory.
 Hazards
 fireor explosion, asphyxiation, pressure buildup,
embrittlement of materials, and tissue damage similar
to that of thermal burns.
Mechanical Hazards

 Laboratory personnel should be aware of the

mechanical hazards of equipment such as
centrifuges, autoclaves, and homogenizers.
DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

 There are four basic waste-disposal

techniques: flushing down the drain to
the sewer system, incineration, landfill
burial, and recycling.
Chemical Waste

 Possible reaction of chemicals in the drain and potential

toxicity must be considered when deciding if a particular
chemical can be dissolved or diluted and then flushed down
the drain.
 For example, sodium azide, which is used as a preservative,
forms explosive salts with metals, such as the copper, in pipes.
Most institutions ban the use of sodium azide due to this hazard.
 solvents such as xylene and acetone may be filtered or
redistilled for reuse.
 before disposal, hazardous substances that are explosive
(e.g., peroxides) and carcinogens should be transformed to
less hazardous forms whenever feasible.
Radioactive Waste

 The manner of use and disposal of isotopes depends on

the type of waste (soluble or nonsoluble), its level of
radioactivity, and the radiotoxicity and half-life of the
isotopes involved.
Biohazardous Waste

 Medical waste is defined as special waste from health

care facilities and is further defined as solid waste that, if
improperly treated or handled, “may transmit infectious
diseases.”
 it comprises animal waste, bulk blood and blood
products, microbiologic waste, pathologic waste, and
sharps.
 The approved methods for treatment and disposition of
medical waste are incineration, steam sterilization,
burial, thermal inactivation, chemical disinfection, or
encapsulation in a solid matrix.
END