laboratory hazards examples:

1. Biologicals- viruses; pathogenic microorganisms, infected animals.

2. Animal chemicals- Pesticides, disinfectants
3. Radiation- Alpha-emitting particles can be harmful to humans if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through an open wound
4. physicals- electricity, noise, heat

BIOSAFETY IN LABORATORY
PREPARED BY : DR. HARYATI ANUAR
Haryati@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
 Objectives
• At the end of this topic, students should be able to:
1. Describe the biosafety in the laboratory
2. Explain the safe and handling of infectious agents
3. Discuss the safe disposal of infectious laboratory waste
4. Discuss the safety management
 Introduction
• What is Biosafety?
• The containment principles, technologies and practices that are implemented to
prevent unintentional exposure to biological agents and toxins, or their
accidental release.
 Laboratory Hazards

❑Biologicals
❑Animals Chemicals
❑Radiation
❑Physical
 Exposure to Laboratory Hazards

❑Absorption
❑Ingestion
❑Inhalation
❑Injection
accidently inject drugs in hand
 Laboratory Accidents
• Human Factor
▪ Lack of training, knowledge, or experience
▪ Carelessness (not vigilant)
▪ Fatigue
▪ Taking short cuts
▪ Not enough time; working too fast
▪ Decided NOT to follow safe practices
▪ Do not believe it’s hazardous
 Laboratory Accidents
• Other Causes

▪ Equipment/Systems failure dont have proper maintainance

▪ Inaccurate risk assessment

most important before run experiments
 Biosecurity Issues

▪ Missing biological materials

▪ Accessibility to laboratories
▪ Personnel
 Biosecurity Issues

• “advances in biotechnology … have the potential to create a much more

dangerous biological warfare threat … engineered biological agents could be
worse than any disease known to man. (CIA, 2003) Dual-Use Research

• ‘Research that based on current understanding can be reasonably anticipated to

provide knowledge, products, or technologies that could be directly misapplied
by others to pose a threat to public health and safety, agricultural crops and
other plants, animals, the environment, or material.’
• (NSABB 2007)
 Biosecurity
• What is Biosecurity?

• Protection, control and accountability for valuable biological materials

within laboratories, in order to prevent their unauthorized access, loss,
theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release
to have potential to prevent those accidents
Biosecurity

calculate predicted/expected

lack of risk management can lead to a series

issues
 hazardous= infectious infections

Safe of Handling Infection Agent

• Characteristics of Infectious Laboratory Waste
• Infectious laboratory waste is characterized principally as waste that
contains microorganisms capable of causing infection in a healthy,
susceptible host.
• Hospitals, health care facilities, medical research institutions, and
industrial facilities can generate infectious laboratory waste.
• Categories of operation that produce infectious waste include the
following:
 In vivo refers to when research or work is done with or within an entire, living organism.
In vitro is used to describe work that's performed outside of a living organism. This can include studying cells in culture or methods of testing
the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria.

• operations that involve the processing and analysis of specimens for diagnosis, separation
or purification of cells or substances from human blood and body fluids, and in vitro and
in vivo methods for the propagation of pathogenic microorganisms;
• medical operations in which invasive procedures are likely to result in waste
contaminated with blood and body fluids from an individual who harbors an infectious
agent;
• veterinary operations involving the study of zoonotic disease in which infected animal
carcasses and tissues, contaminated fomites such as disposable instruments and supplies,
and contaminated bedding materials are produced;
• anatomical pathology services where workers process specimens from individuals either
known to harbor, or who are at an increased risk of harboring, an infectious agent;
• diagnostic, research, and industrial operations that involve the collection and processing
of bulk quantities of human blood, blood derivatives, or body fluids; and
• the production of biological products in which pathogenic microorganisms are used, such
as vaccines.
 minimize the chances of exposure

Safe of Handling Infection Agent

• The primary responsibility for the safe handling and disposal of infectious waste resides
with the generator of the waste.
• This responsibility extends to the ultimate point of disposal even when there are other
parties involved in handling the waste.
• The generator should conduct inspections or take other measures to ensure that the waste
is being handled and disposed of properly, even though management of infectious waste is
also the concern of waste haulers and treatment facility operators.
• The major problem associated with infectious waste is the potential for occupational
exposure.
• The disposal of infectious waste should, therefore, be performed in an effective manner
that minimizes the potential for exposure of those who, by virtue of their employment,
must handle the material.
• It is incumbent upon the scientific community to educate the general public about the
effectiveness of current sanitation practices in protecting the public's health, and to direct
legislators' attention to the problems of the occupational hazards associated with the
handling of infectious waste.
 Waste Handling and Treatment Methods
• The prudent management of infectious laboratory waste requires the
development of site-specific plans.
• Procedures developed by personnel within a facility will be
appropriate for the specific needs of that facility and may gain a higher
level of acceptance than will procedures imposed from outside
sources.
• The process of developing a waste management plan is, in itself,
acknowledgment of the need to accept responsibility for laboratory
waste.
1. Basic Principles

• Persons who generate infectious laboratory waste are responsible for

preparing the waste so that potential occupational exposures and
environmental contamination are minimized.
• Infectious waste needs to be segregated by the generator from other
waste streams. This process will obviate the need for decision-making
by support services personnel.
• The universal biohazard symbol is used for this purpose.
misuse ( strain)
2. Containment
be in proper container= do not want them to leak

• A variety of packaging items for containment and transport

of infectious waste are available.
• Infectious waste containers serve as primary barriers to
protect the worker and to minimize the chance of
environmental contamination .
• Typically, these containers are made from leak-resistant
paper or cardboard, stainless steel, or temperature-resistant
polymers.
• The nature and volume of the waste, the terminal treatment
method, and their costs are principal factors to consider in
the selection of the mode of packaging.
3. Personal Protection
during laboratory experiment

• The most important precautions for all personnel handling infectious

waste are the wearing of protective gloves and frequent handwashing.
• Gloves and a laboratory coat are recommended for all activities
involving manipulations of contaminated items.
• Gloves and clothing should be changed when soiled or damaged.
Thorough handwashing is recommended after working with infectious
materials.
• Scavenging through waste, as well as eating, drinking, and smoking
while working with waste, must be prohibited.
4. Chemical Decontamination
Read Material safety data sheets= do and dont what do do during accidents happens

❑Liquid and gaseous chemicals are used routinely for decontaminating infectious waste.
❑Use of an intermediate decontamination step during the storage or transport of waste, e.g., the
addition of liquid chlorine bleach, iodophors, or phenolic disinfectants to pipette discard pans at
workstations. Gaseous decontamination of HEPA filters in biological safety cabinets.
❑This procedure should be carried out prior to removal of the filter for replacement or prior to
repairing the cabinet. Decontamination is usually carried out with formaldehyde sublimed by heat
from paraformaldehyde flakes in the presence of high humidity. The cabinet must be sealed with
plastic sheets and tape prior to initiating decontamination.
❑ Care should be taken to avoid corrosion of sensitive parts if the equipment is to be reused rather
than discarded. A disinfectant that has low corrosive properties and has been proven to be effective
against the specific microorganism should be used for this purpose.
❑Treatment of mixed hazardous waste such as combinations of infectious agents and radioisotopes.
After an appropriate assessment of the waste, it may be prudent to use chemically compatible
decontaminants to avoid the release of potentially hazardous emissions.
5. Steam Autoclaving
need to santitize with alcohol

• Steam autoclaving usually is considered to be the method of choice for

decontaminating cultures, laboratory glassware, pipettes, syringes, or
other small items known to be contaminated with infectious agents
• Location of the autoclave within the laboratory minimizes storage and
transport problems.
• It provides a technically proved treatment method for rendering
infectious material safe.
• Autoclaved waste can be disposed of as general waste.
6. Incineration when deal with animals- consider the probability of success in experiments

kill the mice after the experiments - reduce danger

• Incineration is the method of choice for treating large volumes of infectious

waste, animal carcasses, and contaminated bedding materials.
• Because incinerators usually are located some distance from the laboratory,
additional precautions for handling and packaging of infectious waste are
necessary.
• Incinerators require approval and permits from local and state pollution
control authorities.
• Although the initial capital costs and maintenance costs are high,
incineration offers many advantages as a method for the treatment of
infectious waste.
• Incineration significantly reduces waste volume and produces an
unobjectionable end-product, ash.
• Proper design and operation can provide for energy (heat) recovery, making
the operation more economical.
7. Validation of Decontamination Methods

• Sterility testing or testing for survival of an indicator microorganism is

neither applicable nor practical to verify the adequacy of the treatment
of infectious waste, since sterility is not an objective of
decontamination methods, and indicator microorganisms do not
simulate typical waste load composition.
• Rather, precise reproduction of each of the conditions (operational
parameters) prescribed for the different treatment methods should be
relied upon to ensure adequate treatment each time waste is
processed.
 LABORATORY RESEARCH, ANIMAL CARE AND SUPPORT STAFF

❑Know the work hazards know the reagents

❑Participate in training programs
❑Develop practice / procedure
❑Proficiency
❑Know emergency response
❑Procedures
❑Know security procedures
❑Conduct safe work
 Safety Management
• Safety management is commonly understood as applying a set of
principles, framework, processes and measures to prevent accidents,
injuries and other adverse consequences that may be caused by using
a service or a product.
• What are the functions of safety management?
• Implementing safety programs; • Ensuring that staff receives safety
training; Ensuring that staff has, and uses, safety equipment; Enforcing
safety rules; • Including safety in performance reviews; • Providing safety
coaching to staff; • Monitoring staff safety performance; and • Conducting
incident investigations.
Component Key Point
 Safety Management Programme
• Initial. review.
• Measuring. performance.
• Reviewing. performance.
• Safety and. Health policy.
• Planning. Auditing.
• Implementation. and operation.
 if not safe, nobody will take the risk

A Safety Workplace is Sound Business

➢Employers will find that implementing these recommended practices
also brings other benefits.
➢Safety and health programs help businesses:
• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
• Improve compliance with laws and regulations
• Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers'
compensation premiums
• Engage workers
• Enhance their social responsibility goals
• Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations
 WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Practice safety consistently

• Be part of the team
• Seek knowledge through good science
• Ask questions
THANK YOU