Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere especially in a information, training, of unsafe conditions or

laboratory setting. It is important to have proper training personal protective practices to the
and be aware of the potential dangers that may threaten equipment, and medical immediate supervisor
surveillance to and ensure that unsafe
a lab personnel’s life. employees conditions and practices
are corrected
LABORATORY SAFETY
 Legal responsibility of the employer as well as Provide and maintain Engage in the conduct
moral obligation of the employee equipment and of safe work practices
laboratory facilities that and use of the personal
are adequate for the protective equipment
Can be achieved by having: tasks required
 Common sense
 Safety focused attitude
 Good personnel behavior
 Good housekeeping
Signage and Labelling
 Practice of good lab techniques

Recognition of hazard

 Electric shock
 Toxic vapors
 Compressed gases
 Flammable liquids
 Radioactive materials
 Corrosive substances
 Mechanical trauma
 Poisons
 Biological materials

EMPLOYER'S EMPLOYEE'S o Statement of the hazard

RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY
Establish laboratory Know and comply with
work methods and the established
laboratory work safety
safety policies
methods
Provide supervision and Have a positive attitude
guidance to employees toward supervisors, co-
workers, facilities and
safety training
o Precautionary measures
o Specific hazard class
o First aid instructions for internal/external
contact
o Storage code
o Safety code
o Personal protective gear and equipment
needed
o In house prepared reagents and solutions
should be labelled in a standard manner with
the chemical identity, concentration, hazard
warning, special handling, storage conditions,

Provide safety Give prompt notification

 date prepared, expiration date, and preparer’s
initials.
THE LAW AND SCIENCE OF LABORATORY SAFETY
OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- A federal agency that aims to assure safe and
healthy working conditions for workers by setting
safety standards and by providing training,
outreach education, and assistance.
- Enforces regulations it issues about
transporting all types of hazardous
materials
 e.i. transport of laboratory specimen
FDA
(Food and Drug Administration)
• - Approves new medicines and medical
devices for safe after use
• e.i. Toxicology, transfusion medicine,
apheresis

• “Occupational Safety And Health Act of

1970” – the act governs safety in all
types of workplaces including
laboratories.

• OSHA requirements with the greatest

day- to -day impact for laboratories are
the following:

• Recording and reporting workplace

accidents, injuries, or illnesses

• Hazard Communication Standard –

specifying how workers must be made
aware of hazardous materials in the
workplace

• Standards for chemical hygiene,

including occupational exposure to
hazardous chemicals in the laboratories
NFPA
• Bloodborne Pathogens standard – intended
to minimize the risk of exposure to
bloodborne pathogens
Developed a color coded system NFPA 704
EPA
( Environmental Protection Agency)
(National Fire Protection Association)
• -Enforces regulations under the Clean Air
Act, the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, and other environmental Color of the diamond in the NFPA label indicates
statutes hazard:
• e.i ventilation. Air contamination, disposal • Red= flammable. Store in an area for
of hazardous waste flammable reagents.
DOT • Blue= health hazard. Toxic if inhaled,
(Department of Transportation) ingested, or absorbed through the skin.
Store in a secure area.
 • Yellow= reactive and oxidizing reagents.
May react violently with air, water, or other
substances. Store away from flammable and
combustible materials.
• White= corrosive. May harm skin, eyes, or
mucous membranes. Store away from red,
blue, and yellow-coded reagents.
• The numeric ratings indicate degree of
hazard: 4=extreme; 3=severe; 2=moderate;
1=slight; and 0=none
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Safety showers
- Green-and-white sign above the safety shower &
eyewash locations is helpful in locating them in an
emergency
-Must be w/in 100ft. and w/in a 10s walk of caustic
and corrosive chemicals
-Water should be moderately warm or lukewarm for
the full 15-minute cycle
• Eyewash stations
- Must be w/in 100ft. and w/in a 10s walk of caustic
and corrosive chemicals
-Flush the eye from the inside corner of the eye
outward
-Stations must be capable of providing a minimum of
15 minutes of hands-free flushing capacity.
-Water pressure should be gentle
-Water from eyewash station should be cultured
every 6 months
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire blankets
• Decontamination of Spills
- Regardless of what type of spill, PPE must be used:
fluid-resistant cover gown & facial protection
-Heavyweight, puncture-resistant utility gloves are
recommended
-Rubber boots or waterproof shoe covers if the spill
is large
-If the spill contains broken glass, these should be
removed first w/ tongs & forceps or brush & dustpan
-If the spill contains culture media, site should be
covered completely w/ absorbent materials. After 10
mins, cleanup procedures can be started
-Generally, bleach is used to soak & disinfect spills
First aid supplies
• All employees must be trained in first aid &
at a minimum, must know:
a) the location of the first aid kit
b) how to stop bleeding by direct pressure w/ a
gauze over the wound
c) Emergency numbers
d) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• In addition, first aid kit must be available w/in
the laboratory, in a clearly marked box or
cabinet
• Mechanical pipetting devices
• Fume hoods- designed to limit exposure to
hazardous fumes, vapor, or gas
   -Required to expel noxious and hazardous
fumes from chemical reagents
   -remove particles that may be harmful to the
employee who is working with infective biologic
specimens
• Chemical storage equipment
      -Safety carriers When to use: When directly working w/ Px who
may be immune-compromised.
     -Safety cabinets

     -Explosion proof refrigerators

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT  N-95 

• Laboratory Gowns What it filters: Particles as small

- Primary protection to prevent skin exposure from
chemical or specimen (blood and other body fluids)
splash or spill
-Must be a bit loose, available as reusable or
disposable depending on laboratory application
-Aprons are not substitutes for lab gowns but
provide extra protection when fluid contamination is
likely (i.e. during autopsy)
as 0.1u (microns) such as TB
When to use: Interaction w/ Px
known or suspected of having
aactive TB Culturing TB spx
• Cartridge purifying 
What it filters: Organic vapors
such as xylene or formaldehyde 

-SHOULD NOT BE WORN OUTSIDE THE LAB!!! When to use: When ppm (parts
per million) of a hazardous chemical is
Use and storage When to change or above the action level for that chemical
replace
• Footwear
Worn at all times while Changed when soiled
in lab work areas  -Comfortable

“In-use” gowns hung Replaced when -Non Slip soles

on designated hooks in damaged
work area -Must cover the entire foot

-Must be made of material that will not allow

Clean lab gowns stored
in cabinets or closet blood, body fluids or chemicals to soak through

• Safety Goggles

• Work shield

BIOLOGICAL SAFETY
• Mask
• Hazards
- Used when performing laboratory procedures w/
- Observe universal precaution. Treat every
potential of splashes or sprays of infectious materials
patient specimen as potentially infectious.
and aerosol potential
- All blood samples of patient with high risk
• Surgical mask 
should be processed with strict precaution.
What it filters: Bacteria 
 Hazards Preventive
measures

Physical harm Use only explosion

from shock or proof equipment in
burns hazardous
- Specimen container should remain “capped” attire
atmospheres.
during centrifugation.
- Observe proper
- Any blood spills must be cleaned up and Danger from Be particularly
storage and careful
fire due to heat when operating high-
disinfected immediately. disposal
and sparks voltage equipment
- Individuals with any wounds or abrasions wear produced
finger cots/gloves handling blood specimens. Use only properly
grounded equipment
- Get Immunization (3-prong plug).
Check for “frayed”
electrical cords.

- Report any
malfunctioning or
CHEMICAL SAFETY
equipment producing a
Hazards Preventive “triangle” for prompt
repair
measures
Do not work on “live”
electrical equipment.
- Toxic and - Know the nature
- Never operate
poisonous of the chemical electrical equipment
used with wet hands.
- Flammable and
combustible - Mechanical -Know the exact
pipetting aids location of the
- Corrosive
must always be electrical control panel
- Reactive used for the electricity to
your work area.
- Carcinogenic Pipettes-used to - Use only approved
measure or extension cords and do
transfer volume not overload circuits.
- Have a periodic
of liquid. preventive
maintenance performed
- Observe basic
on equipment.
rule “acid to
water”- heat is
released, solution ELECTRICAL SAFETY
may boil and acid
may splash

- Chemical spills
containment

- Use safety cans,

fume hood and
cabinets

- Wear proper
 - Read all labels and instructions carefully.

FIRE SAFETY - Use the personal safety equipment that is provided.

Hazards Preventive - For the safe handling, uses, and disposal of

measures chemicals, learn their properties and hazards.

- Learn emergency procedures and become familiar

-Flammable/ - Keep flammable
combustible chemicals substances in separate with the location of fire exits, fire extinguishers,
rooms. blankets, and so on.

- Be careful when transferring chemicals from

- Electric hazard - Use fire-resistant
container to container always add acid to water
building products.
slowly.
- Use explosion proof LABORATORY WASTE
refrigerators.
• Laboratory waste are materials used to
- Perform procedures
sustain laboratory operations that are
that result in highly
combustible reactions no longer needed and should be
under water or in a discarded and disposed. They are
vacuum chamber. generally classified into hazardous and
non-hazardous wastes

CARDINAL SAFETY RULES OF THE CLINICAL

LABORATORY

• Good personal behavior/habits

- Wear proper attire and protective clothing.

- Tie back long hair. Characteristics of Hazardous Waste

- Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the work area. Only • Explosivity and Reactivity
in the backroom.
This includes waste that is unstable and reacts
- Never mouth pipette. violently when exposed to chemical change,
- Wash hands frequently. waste that releases toxic fumes when mixed
with water and even explode under extreme
• Good housekeeping
conditions, and waste capable of detonation
- Keep work areas free of chemicals, dirty glassware, and explosive decomposition at standard
and so on. temperature and pressure.
- Store chemicals properly. • Corrosivity
- Label reagents and solutions. This includes waste that needs to be separated
- Post warning signs. from other wastes, waste that may react with
heavy metals to produce toxic contaminates,
• Good laboratory technique and corrode steel waste containers, and
- Do not operate new or unfamiliar equipment until aqueous substances with pH <2 or pH >12.5.
you have received instruction and authorization.
 • Toxicity
Toxic waste that is harmful to humans and also
the environment as it stimulates the leaching of
materials from a landfill into the surround
groundwater.
• Ignitability
This includes waste that can cause a fire during
routine waste disposal and storage conditions,
ignitable gas from flammable mixture at 13% or
less concentration, and solid substances that
may cause fire through friction or absorption of
moisture.
• Infectious waste
These are wastes suspected to contain
pathogenic microorganisms.
• Pathological wastes
These wastes include human and animal
tissues, organs, body parts (excluding teeth,
hair, finger nails), and body fluids that are
removed during autopsy, biopsy, surgery or
other medical procedure.
• Chemical wastes
These are discarded solids, liquids, and gaseous
chemicals from laboratory procedures, and
include laboratory reagents.
• Radioactive wastes
These are wastes that contain radioactive
substances, such as chemical reagents.
• Biomedical wastes
The wastes generated in diagnostic
laboratories, including pathology laboratories,
are considered biochemical wastes.
LABORATORY WASTE MANAGEMENT
• Incineration
This is the most acceptable means of waste
disposal. Incinerators are complex devices that
contain secondary equipment such as burners,
scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, and
filters.
• Microwave Treatment, Autoclaving,
Plasma-based Systems, and Irradiation
• Sterilization
• Sewer Systems
Proper Hazardous Waste Disposal
Procedures
Hazardous wastes are to be placed in a
compatible, nonleaking container, with a
nonleaking sealable lid. It should contain
the following information:
laboratory name (department or division)
labels “Caution-Toxic” and “Hazardous Wastes”
identification of components
hazard information
concentration
Content
Quantity
number of containers.
• Labeling of Waste
Label all waste bottles properly as
“Hazardous Wastes,” which are the only
acceptable words. Labels of old containers
should be completely removed or defaced.
• ·Segregation of Waste
Segregate laboratory wastes as chemical
wastes, pathological wastes, biological
wastes, and radioactive wastes. The wastes
should be separated based on chemical
compatibility in order to prevent violent
chemical reaction. 
Acids, bases, and organic wastes should
not be stored in the same cabinet as this
may lead to accidental mixing, explosion, or
even fire. Mixing of incompatible chemicals
in the same waste container such as nitric
acid and ethyl alcohol will cause an
explosion.
• Storage of Wastes
Do not store wastes in a fume hood where
reactions take place as this may trigger a
violent reaction or might cause a fire. Do
not use metal cans for storing wastes since
they might corrode in a short time; instead
use polyethylene containers. Containers for
flammable waste should be stored in an
explosion-resistant solvent cabinet.
• Capping Waste Bottles
Waste bottles should be capped to prevent
the release of contents.
• Accumulation of Excessive Wastes
Only one waste container of each type
should be in the laboratory. If an organic
waste bottle is full, it should be sent to the
stockroom for disposal.
Guidelines for Segregation of Waste in the
Laboratory
• Do not store the following wastes close
to each other: acids and bases; organic
materials and acids; cyanides, sulfides,
arsenic compounds, and acids;
powdered or reactive metals and
combustible materials; and mercury,
silver, and ammonium compounds.
• · Waste containers should be solid, with
no cracks, rust , or deterioration;
compatible with the waste and the
contents; in the laboratory and not in
hallways, floor drains, or the sink; and
taken the stockroom for disposal,
where it should be properly labeled
with its full chemical name- for
example, not as “ROR” but as “ether”-
and with the approximate percentage
of each component listed.
• Biochemical wastes should be
segregated based on their categories
and their source of generation: patient,
care activity areas, diagnostic services,
operating rooms, delivery rooms,
treatment rooms, and so on. Biomedical
wastes must be collected within 24
hours and the biomedical waste
management and handling rules should
be adhered to when doing so.
Common Errors Encountered in Handling
Hazardous Laboratory Wastes
• Failure to label the waste container.
• Improper labeling of the waste
container.
• Failure to close/seal the waste
container.
• Improper segregation of the wastes.
• Improper storage of the wastes.
• Using an improper waste container.
• Accumulation of too much waste.