The biochemistry laboratory involves many hazardous activities resulting from the handling of chemicals, infected samples, equipment's etc. Good and safe working practices is essential.

1. AKANSHA SINGH
• DEPARTMENT OF
BIOCHEMISTRY
INTRODUCTION TO
LABORATORY QUIPMENT,
GOOD SAFE PRACTICES
AND WASTE DISPOSAL

2. Good safe laboratory practices
• The biochemistry laboratory involves many
hazardous activities resulting from the handling
of chemicals, infected samples, equipment's etc.
• Good and safe working practices is essential.

3. Hazards in clinical biochemistry
laboratory
1. Hazards arise from three main, basic
sources:-
• From dangerous chemicals.
• From infected specimens sent for analysis.
• From faulty apparatus and instruments.
These are further increased by carelessness,
faulty hygiene, conduct of staff and
unsatisfactory building and working
conditions.

4. The hazards could be physical, chemical or infective
in nature.
Physical-
• electric shock, burn injuries, radiation exposure,
physical trauma from broken glassware, needles,
etc.
Chemical-
• direct contact with skin, lips, mouth, eyes, etc.
• Inhalation of toxic vapours leading to lung
damage.

5. Cardinal safety rules and precautions
• Overalls and gloves must be worn as a
routine.
• Hair must be tied up.
• One should not eat, drink or smoke in the
working area.

6. • Strong acids/alkalis or toxic chemicals
should not be mouth pipetted; instead use
dispenser, bulbs or autopipettes.
• Hands must be washed with soap after
work and before taking meals.
• The used gloves, tips, glassware, etc.,
must be properly discarded after use.

7. A good accurate operating balance is
necessary for making good quality reagents
and solutions.
A biochemistry laboratory needs balances
which can weigh minute amounts accurately-
in milligrams or even less.

8. 1. DOBULE PAN BALANCE
• This is most frequently used balance which is
quite accurate, provided the weights used are
of standard quality.

9. SINGLE PAN BALANCE
• These balances are preffered these days. They
are very accurate and can easily measure
quantities in milligrams.

10. Water bath
1) These are usually steel containers, fitted with a
heating device and a thermostate to regulate the
temparture.
2) It often have an internal circulating pump to
properly maintain a uniform temp.
• Serological baths in which the temp. is low (25-
40֯c). They are often used for incubation at 37.
• Boiling water baths in which the temp. is
maintained at 100֯c

12. Hot air ovens
• They are used for drying glassware's,
chemicals, etc. They have a high temp.
range(upto 250֯c), with a thermostat for
regulation.
• They are made of stainless steel body with
a heating system.

14. CENTRIFUGE
• These device are used to separate insolube
and particulate matter from a liquid
suspension using centrifugal force.
• Basically, a sample container is rotated at
variable speeds to generate a centrifugal
force with the help of an electric motor,
whose speed can be regulated.

15. ULTRA
CENTRIFUGE
TABLE TOP
CENTRIFUGE

16. PH METER
• A pH meter is a combination of a combined
electrode and an electronic measuring and
display device.
• A pH meter is a scientific instrument that
measures the hydrogen-ion activity in water-
based solution, indicating
its acidity or alkalinity expressed as pH.

18. COLORIMETERS

22. SPECTROPHOTOMETER
• It is an instrument that measures the amount
of light absorbed by a sample.
• It techniques are used to measure the
concentration of solutes in solution by
measuring the amount of the light that is
absorbed by the solution in a cuvette placed
in the spectrophotometer.

24. SEMI AUTO-ANYLZER
• They are an automated version of colorimeter
and spectrophotometers.
• They are usually designed for kinetc assays
(estimation based on measuring the rate of
reactions) and enzyme based colorimetric
assays, involving one or two step methods and
a vey small sample volume.

26. AUTO ANALYZERS
• They incorporate mechanized operations of
various manual techniques and procedures.
Computer and robotic technology is used to
perform repetitive tasks like pipetting, mixing,
dispensing, etc.
• They are highly efficient with high outputs and
ideally suited for a large sample workload. They
are very costly and are used in large biochemistry
laboratotries.

28. GLASSWARE'S AND ITS USES
• These are made of complex silicate
containing boron dioxide. They are usually
resistant to acid, alkali, corrosion,
temperature, radiation etc., and have a low
coefficient of expansion.

29. MEASURING CYLINDER
• Commonly used for dilutions and reagent
preparation. They are available in different
volumes from 10mL to 2L. These are used to
measure the volume the liquids.

30. VOLUMETRIC FLASK
• These are very important and are used to make
standard solutions and other reagents. They are
usually round bottomed with a long neck and are
stoppered. They are different volume ranging
from 10mL to 5L.

31. PIPETTES
• These are the most imporatnt for a biochemist.
Pipettes are available from 0.1 ml to 25ml
delivery volume size.
• they are graduated and are used to deliver a
measured volume.

32. REAGENT DISPENSER
• At times, harmful and dangerous chemicals
are needed to bee delivered in a measured
amount.

33. TEST TUBES
• Various types of tubes are in dispensable part of
the biochemistry lab. They are available in
various sizes, in gradually and non-graduated
varieties.

34. AUTO PIPETTES
• Automated pipetting devices are now
replacing the conventional mouth pipettes.
• The advantage with these is their precision
and easy use.
• They are time saving, especially when
large no. of samples are to be handled.

36. ANTICOAGULANTS
• Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood
thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or
reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the
clotting time.
• Plasma separation requires the use of
anticoagulants.

38. Yellow vial- Plasma separation tubes of serum
separation tubes.
The gel forms a physical barrier between serum or
plasma and blood cells during centrifuge.
Uses- LFT, CRP, amylase, urea and electrolytes.
Lavender vial or EDTA tube- ethylene diamine tetra acetate-
chelates calcium.
Uses- generally used for haematology tests where
whole blood is required for analysis.

39. Blue vial- In this sodium citrate is present as
anticoagulant.
Uses- coagulation screening including
bleeding time, cloting time.
Red vial- It is used for biochemistry tests
requiring serum, this contains silica particles
which act as clot activators.

40. Grey vial- this contains two main agents. Sodium
fluoride acts as an antiglycolytic agents to
ensure that to further glucose breakdown
occurs within the sample after it is taken.
Potassium oxalate acts as an anticoagulatnt.
uses-
1. glucose:- this can be fasting, non fasting, or
part of glucose tolerance test (GTT).
2. lactate

41. DISPOSAL OF LABORATORY WASTE
• Biomedical waste is the waste which is
generated during the diagnosis treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals, or
in research activities. To avoid the risk of
biological hazard, safe handling and disposal
of these infected materials is required.

42. • It recommended that waste should be segregated
at the point of generation and disposed in bags
with correct colour coding given below:-
• Yellow bag- human anatomical parts, blood bags,
biopsy samples, etc.
• Red bag- plastic syringes, tubing's, IV bottles,
gloves, vacutainers, etc.

43. • Blue bag- broken and discarded glass, vials, etc.
• Green bag- office stationery, disposable paper
clips, kitchen waste, etc.
• White puncture proof box- needles, scalpels, knives,
sharp metal objects, etc.
• Blackbag- expired or discarded medicine, etc.

44. Thank
you