Laboratory Safety Safety Documentation & Records

Dr Varsha Shahane Laboratory Safety Manual - Policies and

Procedures
Hazards in the lab
• Sample Contents:
• Biological: exposure to blood and body
fluids and specimens that harbour HIV, – Housekeeping
HBV, HCV etc, bioterrorism) – Personal protection
– Safe decontamination of
• Chemical: acids, alkalies, toxic chemicals
equipment
• Radiological: ineffective radioactive – Decontamination & Waste Disposal
waste disposal – Emergency procedures
 In-lab first aid
• Fire  Accidental injury
• Electrical accidents  Post exposure
prophylaxis
 Contacts
Why Biosafety Practices? – Personnel responsibilities
Protection: Hygiene
• Workers
• “products”
• Co-workers Safety Resources
• Lab support personnel
• Environment

Safety management plan

• Development, implementation and
enforcement of a quality safety
management program → WORKER
SAFETY
• Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) – risk assessment
of each lab task
Contd
• Well written ‘Safety manual’ – defines the
program and identifies responsible people  Provision of necessary time and
resources to produce and implement
• WHO has published laboratory safety the plan and communicate it to
guidelines and ACDP (Advisory Committee employees
on Dangerous pathogens) has formulated
biosafety levels for all microbes
• Each task is assessed for the risks and Action Plan for Implementing Safety
accordingly the plan is framed: Practices
o Standard precautions
o Personal protective
• Identify hazards
equipment (gloves, coats,
masks) • Assess level of risks
o Engineering and work practice
– Prioritize risk
controls, work place design
o Vaccination • Establish and implement safety policies
o Safe handling and disposal of and procedures
hazardous waste
o Use of safety devices • Conduct safety specific training
o Blood borne pathogens – Must be a priority
o Medical surveillance program – Communication is key
o Chemical hygiene plan
o Infection control procedures • Perform regular audits and assessments
o Hazard communications
o Showers and eye wash
station, safety eye glasses In Case of Exposure
o Record keeping
o Waste disposal • Be ready for the emergency before hand
o Fire safety - Familiar with exposure specific
o Spill cleanup policies
• Tie hair, no cosmetic use - Conduct drills
- Keep post exposure medicines
• Closed footwear available
- Check periodically for stock and
• No smoking, eating or drinking in lab
expiry of medicines
• Screening of lab personnel for contagious • Report immediately
and infectious diseases
• Go to the nearest, first available doctor
• SAFETY OFFICER & SAFETY
Post Exposure
COMMITTEE – safety policies documented
in safety manual, check for compliance, • Write a report and reasons for accident
training of employees, safety audits and risk
assessment, maintain records and carry out • Actions taken to avoid future accidents
inspections. Ensure that the current legal • Training
requirements and GLP standards are
followed.
 Containment Levels ↔ Risk group of
pathogens

Risk Characterization
Group of
pathoge
ns
Unlikely to cause disease. Not
1 considered infectious

Moderate individual and low

community risk. Unlikely to
cause serious disease or be
Laboratory hazards - Factors 2 transmitted. Prophylaxis
and treatment
Factors determining the impact of available(Enterobacteriaceae,
hazards: HSV, Candida,
Mycobacterium avium)
• Exposure levels High individual and
• Duration of exposure community risk. Causes
• Toxicity or pathogenecity of the hazardous serious infections, but not
material readily transmitted. Effective
• Safety controls treatment and prevention
• Number and types of contact with the 3 available (Mycobacterium
hazard tuberculosis, Bacillus antracis,
• Host factors – age, health etc Brucella,S.typhi.
Shigella,Rabies virus,
Yellow fever virus, Hepatitis B
Biological hazards
virus,West Nile virus)
• Infectious agents transmitted through
High individual and
body secretions or tissue community risk. Causes
• HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Mycobacteriu serious infections, readily
4 transmitted. Effective
m tuberculosis etc treatment and
prevention not available
• Safe work practices, well designed labs, (Ebola and Marburg virus,
containment equipment, management Variola, KFD
controls, prevention of unauthorized entry, virus)
removal of bioterrorism agents
CONTAI Biosafety Level 1
NMENT REQUIREMENTS Standard Microbiological Practices
LEVEL
• Restrict or limit access when working
• Prohibit eating, drinking and smoking in
Lab to be cleaned daily and
have washing facilities. No the laboratory
1 eating/drinking/smoking/cosm • Pipetting by mouth strictly forbidden
etics/mouth pipetting in lab
Biosafety Level 1
Standard Microbiological Practices
Above measures + limited
access, daily cleaning of
benches,
lab size 24 m3/worker.
2 Personal protective clothing,
biosafety cabinet class I and
autoclave for sterilization of
waste must be available

Above 2 + lab should be away

from populated area, have a
biohazard sign on it,fully well Biological safety cabinet - class I
3 equipped, air flow monitored
and HEPA filtered, class III
biosafety cabinet required.

Sealed class III biosafety

cabinets, sophisticated air
4 movement control and
filtration, all safety features.

Designing for safety

 Facility design
 Water supply/sinks for hand washing
 Ventilation
 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
 Biosafety cabinets – for product,
personal and environmental
protection
Standard practices also include:
Biosafety Level 2
• Keep work areas uncluttered and clean Facility Design (Secondary Barriers)
• No food in lab refrigerator
• Minimize splashes and aerosols Requirements:
• Decontaminate work surfaces daily o Laboratories have lockable doors
• Maintain insect & rodent control program o Sink for hand washing
o Work surfaces easily cleaned
Biosafety Level 2 o Bench tops are impervious to water
Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers) o Sturdy furniture

In addition to BSL-1: Biosafety Level 2

• Use biosafety cabinets (class II) for work Laboratory Facilities (Secondary
with infectious agents involving: Barriers)
– Aerosols and splashes
– Large volumes • BSL-1 Facilities PLUS:
– High concentrations – Autoclave available
– Eyewash station available
Biological safety cabinet - class II
Biosafety Level 2
Facility Construction (Secondary Biological safety cabinet – class III
Barrier)

Requirements:
– Location - separated from public areas
– Structure - normal construction
– Ventilation - directional

Biosafety Level 2
Special Practices

Needles & Sharps Precautions

– Use sharps containers
– DON’T break, bend, re-sheath or Biosafety Level 3
reuse syringes or needles Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers)

Needles & sharps precautions • BSL-1 and 2 Safety Equipment PLUS:

• DON’T place needles or sharps in – Respiratory protection may be indicated
office waste containers
Biosafety Level 3
Needles and Sharps Precautions (cont.) Laboratory Facilities (Secondary
– DON’T touch broken glass with Barriers)
hands
• BSL-1 and 2 Facilities PLUS:
• Identify “clean” and “contaminated” areas – Separate building or isolated zone
– Use appropriate warning signs – Double door entry
• Decontaminate work surfaces – Directional inward airflow
• Report spills and accidents – Single-pass air; 10-12 air changes/hour
• Remove gloves, lab coats before leaving – Enclosures for aerosol generating
work area equipment
• No animals in laboratories – Room penetrations sealed
– Walls, floors and ceilings are water
Biosafety Level 3 resistant for easy cleaning
Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers)
Biosafety Level 3
• BSL-1 and 2 Safety Equipment PLUS: Special Practices
– BSC class
II or III to • BSL-2 Special Practices PLUS:
Manipulate – Work in certified BSC
Infectious – Use bioaerosol containing equipment
Material – Decontaminate spills promptly
Biosafety Level 4 – Maximum – Large Spills/Large Organic Load
Containment • Undiluted from bottle
– Small Spills/Virus Inactivation
• BSL -3 practices plus: • 10% - 1:9
– Clothing change before entering – General Surface Disinfection
laboratory • 1% - 1:99
– Shower on exit • Handling specimens and spills
– All materials decontaminated on – All specimens should be considered as
exit from facility potentially dangerous
• Safety Equipment: – Specimens should be in well-sealed, leak
– Class III Biosafety cabinet proof, solid containers
– Class I or II biosafety cabinet – Wear gloves and cover abrasions/cuts on
–with full-body, air supplied, positive hands
personnel suit – Requisition forms that are blood stained
should be rejected and handled with gloved
Biological Waste hands
– Wash hands thoroughly several times in a
Types day with soap and water
– Cultures, stocks, isolates – Spills: Place a newspaper on the spill.
– Materials containing or After it gets soaked, pour 1% -5%
contaminated with blood hypochlorite on it and leave it for 10
– Sharps minutes.
– Pipettes, wrappers, tips Then mop the area with disinfectant
– All materials used in the lab
Decontamination
Specimen Disposal Methods
• Heat
• Chemical
• Radiation

Chemical hazards
• Label lab chemicals with their hazard
classification – irritant, corrosive,
flammable, carcinogen etc
• Store reactive chemicals seperately (acids
Decontamination x bases, oxidizers x reducing agents).
• Sterilization Flammables are stored in flamable safe
• Disinfection cabinets
• Use of carcinogens / toxic chemicals to be
Decontamination used only by trained personnel and in
Chemical designated area

• General Lab Use - Hypochlorite Solutions

• Chemical hygiene plan, engineering and – Use only one side of corridor for
work practice controls, exposure monitoring storage of equipment
and waste management – Look for spills, glass etc. on the
Physical hazards floors
• Fire – Always walk, never run
• Electrical accidents – shock, short circuit
• Noise levels
• Equipment accident – slipping, breaking,
falling
• UV light exposure
• Compressed gases
• Work stress

Radiation hazards
• Type of radiation – α, β or ϒ, quantity and
source of exposure (internal /external)
• Time, distance, shielding – engineering
and work practice controls
(Designated areas, lead aprons, monitoring
badges)

Routine safety precautions

• Centrifugation
– Check tubes/vials for cracks
– Properly balanced
– Wait for a complete stop
– In case of breakage, clean the
buckets with disinfectant
– For infectious agents, seal the
tubes

• Electrical safety
– Must know master switches and
circuit breaker boards
– Plugs/ cords in worn or broken
conditions X don’t use
– All electrical equipment must be
grounded
– All shocks to be investigated
• Corridor cautions
– Swinging doors; should open into
corridors