Lab safety is an important and critical component to the success of any medical laboratory. Professional biosafety practices are impacted by biological, chemical, radiological, fire, and electrical hazards. The most common threats to laboratory safety include improper use (or lack of use) of personal protective equipment (PPE), failure to follow protocols for an appropriate chemical hygiene plan (CHP), and inappropriate use of biological safety cabinets (BSCs) appropriate to the work, and potential technician exposure.

1. Lab Management
Sivakumar Murugesan
Healthcare Projects,Patient Safety and
Quality Improvement
Medpoint HealthCare

2. Facilities and Safety - Lab 2
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, participants will
be able to:
 relate how facility design impacts the efficiency
and safety of laboratory workers
 describe practices to prevent or reduce risks
 list personal protective equipment (PPE) that
should be used routinely by laboratory workers
 explain general safety requirements for the
laboratory
 describe steps to take in response to emergencies
such as biological or chemical spills, or laboratory
fires

3. Facilities and Safety - Lab 3
Scenario
Your laboratory specializes in
virology. There is an epidemic of
H5N1 in your country and the Ministry
of Health names your laboratory as
the reference laboratory for
processing all samples.
What are the elements to
consider ensuring biosafety in
your laboratory?

4. Facilities and Safety - Lab 4
Organization Personnel Equipment
Purchasing
&
Inventory
Process
Control
Information
Management
Documents
&
Records
Occurrence
Management
Assessment
Process
Improvement
Customer
Service
Facilities
&
Safety
The Quality Management System

5. Facilities and Safety - Lab 5
Laboratory Accident

6. Facilities and Safety - Lab 6
Secondary effects of a laboratory
accident
 loss of staff confidence
 loss of reputation
 loss of customers
 increased costs litigation, insurance
Negligence
of laboratory safety is costly!

7. Facilities and Safety - Lab 7
is responsible for quality and safety
EVERYONE

8. Facilities and Safety - Lab 8
All diagnostic
and health care
laboratories
must be designed
and organized for
Biosafety level 2
or above

9. Facilities and Safety - Lab 9
9
Laboratory design
 Path followed by the sample
reception and registration of patients
sampling rooms
dispatch between different laboratories
analysis of samples
 Report delivery, filing
 Service rooms

10. Facilities and Safety - Lab 10
Blood clotting
Hematology
Biochemistry
Wash
room
Bacteriology
Gynaecological
samples
Blood
samples
Common room,
stairs to offices
Disinfection

11. Facilities and Safety - Lab 11
Registration desk

12. Facilities and Safety - Lab 12
no unauthorized persons
no friends
no children
no animals
Please
CLOSE
the DOOR
Safety during
service

13. Facilities and Safety - Lab 13
Sample collection room

14. Facilities and Safety - Lab 14
Blood
clotting
Hematology
Biochemistry
Wash
room
Bacteriology
Gynaecological
samples
collection
Blood
samples
collection
Common room,
stairs to offices
Disinfection
Patient
Reception

15. Facilities and Safety - Lab 15
Blood clotting
Hematology
Biochemistry
Wash
room
Bacteriology
Gynaecological
samples
collection
Blood
samples
collection
Common room,
stairs to offices
Disinfection
Sample
Reception

16. Facilities and Safety - Lab 16
Segregated areas

17. Facilities and Safety - Lab 17
Stock room

18. Facilities and Safety - Lab 18
18

19. Facilities and Safety - Lab 19
Doors and large equipment
Main
Door

20. Facilities and Safety - Lab 20
Blood
clotting
Hematology
Biochemistry
Wash
room
Bacteriology
Gynaecological
samples
collection
Blood
samples
collection
Common room,
stairs to offices
Disinfection
Waste
Reception

21. Facilities and Safety - Lab 21
21
Premises
 high ceiling with good ventilation
 walls and ceiling
use washable, glossy paint
easy to clean and disinfect
 floor
easy to clean and disinfect

22. Facilities and Safety - Lab 22
22
Benchtops
 non-porous covering, easy to clean,
resistant to chemicals and
disinfectants
 no wood, no steel

23. Facilities and Safety - Lab 23
Benches and working space

24. Facilities and Safety - Lab 24
24
Scheduled Cleaning
 daily
bench tops
floors
 weekly
ceiling and walls
 other
refrigerators
freezers
storage areas
 record date and cleaning staff

25. Facilities and Safety - Lab 25
Safety Management
 Responsible: Safety Officer
 Safety Manual: laboratory-specific
 Standard Operating Procedures
 Trained personnel
 potential risks
 safety procedures
 Waste Management

26. Facilities and Safety - Lab 26
General Safety Equipment
shower
eye washer PPE
waste disposal
fire safety

27. Facilities and Safety - Lab 27
Standard Safety Practices
DO NOT-

28. Facilities and Safety - Lab 28
Standard Safety Practices
DO-

29. Facilities and Safety - Lab 29
Safety Signs

30. Facilities and Safety - Lab 30

31. Facilities and Safety - Lab 31
Research Employee Injuries
(1993–1997)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Office of Laboratory Safety

32. Facilities and Safety - Lab 32
Laboratory Support Injuries
(1993–1997)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Office of Laboratory Safety

33. Facilities and Safety - Lab 33
Laboratory Hazards
 physical
 chemical
 biological

34. Facilities and Safety - Lab 34
Bites,
scratches
animal or
ectoparasites
Spills,
sprays
Aspiration
through
pipettes
broken
glass,
sharps
needles,
syringes
Accidents,
injuries

35. Facilities and Safety - Lab 35
Physical Hazards

36. Facilities and Safety - Lab 36
 do not recap needles
 always use puncture-resistant, leakproof,
sharps containers
 always use specific waste disposal containers
 never directly handle broken glass
Needles, Broken Glass, and Sharps

37. Facilities and Safety - Lab 37
Do you see anything wrong?

38. Facilities and Safety - Lab 38
Do NOT reuse disposable injection equipment

39. Facilities and Safety - Lab 39
Chemical Hazards
Biosafety Level 1 and 2 laboratories
Separate cabinets for storage:
 spill containment cabinet
 hazardous waste storage
 flammable liquids storage

40. Facilities and Safety - Lab 40
Material Safety Data Sheet

41. Facilities and Safety - Lab 41
41
The risks for laboratory workers
-most frequently reported infections in US, 1979-1999
Disease or Agent No. of Cases
Mycobacterium tuberculosis 223
Q fever 176
Hantavirus 169
Hepatitis B virus 84
Brucella sp. 81
Salmonella sp. 66
Shigella sp. 56
Hepatitis non-A, non-B 28
Cryptosporidium sp. 27
Total 1074

42. Facilities and Safety - Lab 42
Biological Hazards
Aerosols and droplets are the main
sources of contamination
MODIFIED SLIDE 41->42

43. Facilities and Safety - Lab 43
Single-source, multiple laboratory infections
Disease Probable Source Max Distance
from Source
Number
Infected
Brucellosis Centrifugation Basement to 3rd
floor
94
Coccidioidomycosis Culture transfer
solid media
2 building floors 13
Coxsackie
Virus infection
Spilled tube of
infected mouse tissue
on floor
5 feet estimated 2
Murine Typhus Intranasal inoculation
of mice
6 feet estimated 6
Tularemia 20 Petri plates
dropped
70 feet 5
Venezuelan
encephalitis
9 lyophilized
ampoules dropped
4th floor stairs to
3rd or 5th floor
24
Reitman and Wedum, 1956

44. Facilities and Safety - Lab 44
Contamination Routes
Ocular invasion
Inhalation
Ingestion
Skin penetration

45. Facilities and Safety - Lab 45
Personal Protective Equipment
BSL 1 and 2
 laboratory coat
 gloves
 goggles or face shield
 masks
 hearing protection

46. Facilities and Safety - Lab 46
Minor spill
Major spill
Chemical Spills
 anything beyond a minor
spill and requiring help from
outside of the laboratory group
constitutes a major spill

47. Facilities and Safety - Lab 47
Biological Spills
Spill Exercises
Spill
Exercises

48. Facilities and Safety - Lab 48
Learn how to operate a portable
fire extinguisher
Laboratory Fire Safety

49. Facilities and Safety - Lab 49
Summary
When designing a laboratory or
organizing workflow, ensure that
patients and patient samples do not
have common pathways

50. Facilities and Safety - Lab 50
Summary
Safety is dependent on:
a responsible supervisor
a safety manual and SOPs
trained personnel
assessment of risks
laboratory design

51. Facilities and Safety - Lab 51
Key Message
Neglecting laboratory safety is costly.
It jeopardizes the lives and health of
employees and patients, and jeopardizes
laboratory reputation, equipment, and
facilities.

52. Facilities and Safety - Laboratory 52
Questions?
Comments?
Organization Personnel Equipment
Purchasing
&
Inventory
Process
Control
Information
Management
Documents
&
Records
Occurrence
Management
Assessment
Process
Improvement
Customer
Service
Facilities
&
Safety