Laboratory

The

place where clinical tests and

experiments are performed. Blood, urine,
stool, sputum and tissues are examined in
the laboratory of a hospital or medical office.

Hospital-acquired diseases:

Prevention is better than cure

General Safety Practices

Frequently wash your hands before and after engaging to
lab work.

Eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics or lip balm

are strictly prohibited in the laboratory work area.

Hands, pens and other fomites must be kept away from

the worker's mouth and all mucous membranes.

Food and drink must not be kept in the same refrigerator

as laboratory specimens or reagents.

Personal protective clothing and equipment must be

provided to the worker.

Accidents
Basic causes of accidents:
Failure to follow instructions
Careless work habit
Failure to use protective equipment
Fatigue
Defective engineering design of the
laboratory

Accidents
Types of accidents:
Physical injury
Electric shock
Exposure to dangerous chemicals
Exposure to radioactive chemicals
Fire and explosion
Biologic hazards

Physical Injury

falling

on wet floor
cutting oneself with broken glass pieces
getting long hair caught in equipment

Physical Injury

Most

probable solution:
prevent them from happening
keeping the floor dry
using glassware with care
tying up your hair while inside the
laboratory
Phlebotomists:

by needle stick

more likely to be injured

Physical Injury

Electric Hazard

Wet

or moist surface near electrical

equipment
Long flexible electrical connecting cables
Poor and perished insulation on cables
Overloading of circuits by use of adapters
Sparking equipment near flammable
substances and vapors
Electrical equipment left switched on and
unattended

Most common causes of electrical

hazard according to WHO:

Electric

wirings inside the laboratory should

be inspected regularly.
Use of extension cords should be avoided.
Use of cheater adapters and gang plugs
should be prohibited.
All new instruments should be thoroughly
inspected first before being used out for
service.
Electrical equipment should not be placed in
areas where ignitable vapors might
accumulate.

Electric Hazard

If

electrical equipment fails to function

properly, disconnect the apparatus.
In case of electric fire, use only carbon
dioxide extinguisher. Never throw water.

Electric Hazard

Chemical Hazard

All

chemicals in the laboratory must be

considered as poison.
Label all chemicals properly.
Follow all handling and storage requirements
for the chemical. Refer to MSDS when you
have problems regarding a chemical.
The wearing of contact lens should not be
permitted when an employee is working with
xylene, acetone, alcohols, formaldehyde and
other solvents.

Chemical Hazard

Exposure

to fumes must be kept within

permissible limits.
Do not store inflammable chemicals in
refrigerators.
Strong acids and alkalis are corrosive
compounds. Always store them near the
floor with a warning sign on the bottle.

Chemical Hazard

Biohazard and Safety

Precautions

All

clinical specimens are potential

sources of infection.

To prevent infection:
Wear the appropriate protective
equipment and clearly label containers
with essential information. The outside of
the container should be wiped with an
alcohol swab.

Biohazard and Safety Precautions

Technicians

must wear disposable gloves

all the time.

Mouth pipetting is totally prohibited.
Never dispose biohazard waste with
regular trash.

Biohazard and Safety Precautions

Radiation Hazard

Ionizing

radiation can be one of the

most toxic sources of exposure to
personnel in the laboratory
Pregnant women must not work with
radioactive substances.

Radiation Hazard

Fire Hazard

Common causes of fire in laboratories are:

Electrical overloading;
Poor electric maintenance;
Excessive long gas tubing and electricity leads;
Equipment left switched on unnecessarily;
Naked flames;
Deteriorated gas tubing;
Misuse of matches;
Carelessness with flammable materials;
Flammable and explosive chemicals stored in
ordinary refrigerators.

Fire Hazard

A good fire safety/prevention plan is necessary and

should consist of the following:
Enforcement of a no smoking policy.
Placement of fire extinguishers every 75 ft.
Placement of fire detection systems which should
be tested every 3 months.
Written fire prevention and response procedures,
commonly referred to as the fire response plan.
Conducting quarterly fire drills
A well-organized fire safety training program.

Fire Hazard

Some good practices to prevent fire accidents include:

Checking fire extinguishers at least once a year.
Turn off the flame before leaving the laboratory
Keep the portable fire extinguisher within reach.
In case of fire accident in the laboratory, close all
doors and windows and prevent draft.
For a small blaze, use sand or water and a fire blanket
while fire extinguishers are used for a larger blaze.
Do not use water to put out an electric fire or fire
caused by grease, oil or gasoline.
While escaping, it is safest to crawl and stay close to
the floor. Cover the mouth and nose to reduce the
danger of inhaling flame.

Fire Hazard

FIRES: Four Classes A, B, C, D

Class

A fires - ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper and

Class

B fires - flammable liquids, gases or grease

cloth
Use: pressurized-water and dry-chemical extinguishers

fires - electrical equipment, motors and switches

Use: dry-chemical and carbon dioxide extinguishers

Class

D fires - flammable metals such as magnesium

Extinguishment is left to trained firefighters using special drychemical extinguishers

Use of Specialized
Equipment

 Centrifuge

is a common source of mechanical

hazard.
Hair and clothing can become entangled in the
machine if it is allowed to operate with its cover
open.
Tubes and glassware allowed to be centrifuged
without covering the machine can be dangerous.
Spinning rotors must never be slowed or stopped
manually.
Make sure the tubes are balanced inside the
machine. Breakage of centrifuge tubes within
centrifuge head is a source of biohazard.

Use of Specialized Equipment

Use

of biosafety cabinets is mandatory for

the microbiology section of a laboratory. It
must not be used until it is working properly.
Apparatus and materials in the cabinet must
be kept to a minimum.
Air circulation at the rear plenum must not
be blocked.
Materials should be surface-decontaminated
before placing them inside the working area
of the cabinet.

Use of Specialized Equipment

Bunsen

burners must not be used in the

cabinet.
Traffic behind the operator should be
minimized.
The operator should not disturb the airflow
by repeated removal and reintroduction of
his/her arms.
The surface of the BSC should be wiped
using an appropriate disinfectant after
completion of work and at the end of the
day.

Use of Specialized Equipment