LABORATORY SAFETY Flashcards
provides excellent general laboratory safety and infection control guidelines
Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
- Standard System for the Identification of the Fire Hazards of Materials,
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- All Patients are considered possible carriers of bloodborne pathogens (HIV/ HBV)
- Wearing gloves when collecting/ handling blood and body fluids contaminated with blood
- Wearing face shields when in danger of splashing blood and body fluids contaminated with blood
- Doesn’t include urine and fluids not visibly contaminated with blood
Universal Precautions (1987)
- Considers all body fluids and moist body substances to be potentially infectious
- Does not recommend handwashing after removal of gloves
Body Substance Isolation Guidelines (1987)
- Combines aspects of Universal Precautions and Body substance Isolation Guidelines
Standard Precautions (1996)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Universal Precautions (1987)
- Body Substance Isolation Guidelines (1987)
- Standard Precautions (1996)
- Development of policies regarding laboratory safety
- Accreditation of Clinical Laboratories
Department of Health (Philippines)
Standard Precautions (CDC, 1996)
- Handwashing
- Gloves
- Mask, eye protection, face shield
- Gown
- Patient Care Equipment
- Environmental Control
- Linen
- Occupational Health
- Patient Placement
Handwashing:
- Before direct patient contact
- After contact with patient specimens
- After contact with patient’s intact skin
- If hands will be moving from a contaminated surface to a clean one during patient care
- After contact with the inanimate objects in the patient’s vicinity
- After removing gloves
- Before going to designated break areas
- Before and after using bathroom facilities
- Worn when user is in contact with blood or other potentially
infectious materials
Gloves
Worn to protect the clothing and skin of health-care workers
from contamination by patient body substances and to prevent the transfer of microorganisms out of patient rooms.
Laboratory Gown
- Contain Respiratory Secretions during patient care
Respiratory Hygiene
Wear PPE according to corresponding level of anticipated contamination
Patient-Care Equipment and Instruments/ Devices
- Policies and Procedures for cleaning and disinfection
Care of the Environment
- Avoid contamination of air, surface, and personnel, and minimize agitation when handling
Textiles and Laundry
Transmission-Based Precautions
CDC, 1995
When microorganisms remain infective while being carried in the air or on dust particles
Airborne Precautions
When microorganisms can be transmitted on moist particles
produced during sneezing and coughing; droplet-borne infections are capable of travelling short distances only (>3 ft)
Droplet Precautions
Direct skin-to-skin contact or indirect contact with inanimate
objects in patient’s room
Contact
Tuberculosis, Measles, Chickenpox, Herpes zoster
virus / Shingles, Mumps, Adenovirus
Airborne Precautions
Neisseria meningitides, Haemophilus spp, Influenza, rhinovirus
Droplet Precautions
Clostridium difficile, rotavirus, draining wounds, scabies,
herpes simplex, herpes zoster
Contact
Standard Precautions Mask or Respirator
Airborne Precautions
Standard Precautions Mask
Droplet Precautions
Standard Precautions Gown and Gloves
Contact
Requires all employers to have a written Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan and to provide necessary protection, free of charge for employees
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis D Virus, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP)
Transmission Prevention Guidelines for Phlebotomists
- Change Gloves in between patients
- Wash hands after removing gloves
- Dispose of biohazard materials properly
- Dispose of sharps hazards in puncture-proof containers
- Do not recap needles with both hands; use safety devices
- Follow institute’s protocol during personal illness
- Maintain personal immunizations
- Decontaminate Work Areas
- Do not centrifuge uncapped tubes
- Do not eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics in the work area
Standard and Transmission-based Precaution for Bloodborne Pathogens
-Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP)
Exposure to BBP can occur when
- Contaminated sharps pierces the skin of the worker
- Body fluid or blood splashes in the eyes, nose, or mouth of the worker
- Cut, scratch, or abrasion of the health worker has made contact with blood or bodily fluids of the patient
- Human bite cut the skin of the worker
- Carefully remove the sharp object
- Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water for at least 30 sec.
BBP Exposure by Needlestick or Sharps:
- Flush with water or saline for at least 10 mins
- For eye exposure, use eyewash station. (Remove contact lenses)
- Report incident to immediate supervisor
BBP Exposure through Mucus Membrane:
- Use 1:10 bleach solution on contaminated areas.
For Surface Decontamination:
– providing sharps disposal container and needles with safetydevices
- Requiring discarding of the needles with the safety device activated and the holder attached
- Labelling all biohazardous materials and containers.
Engineering Controls
- Requiring all employees to practice standard precautions
- Prohibiting eating and drinking, smoking, and applying cosmetics in the work area
Work Practice Controls
- providing laboratory coats, gowns, face sheilds, and gloves to employees and laundry facilities for nondisposable protective clothing
Personal protective Equipments
- Proving immunization for the hepatitis B virus free of charge.
- Proving medical follow-up to employees who have been accidentally exposed to bloodborne pathogens.
Medical
- Anual training of employees in safety standards
- Evaluation and implementaion od safer needle devices
- Involving employees in the selection and evaluation od new devices and maintaing a list of those
- Maintaining a sharp injury log including the type and brand of safety device, location and description of the incident, and confidential employees follow-up
Documentation
Any accidental exposure to blood through needlestick, mucous membranes, or nonintact skin must be reported to a supervisor and a confidential medical examination must be started immediately.
Postexposure Prophylaxis
Evaluation of the incident must begin immediately to ensure appropriate postexposure prophylaxis(PEP) is initiated within
24 hours.
Non-infectious dry waste
Black
Non-Infectious wet waste
Green
Infectious and Pathological waste
Yellow
Chemical waste including those w/ heavy metals
Yellow with black band
Radioactive waste
Orange
Sharps and pressurized containers
Red
Describes hazards, safe handling, storage, and disposal
of hazardous chemicals
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
Infectious Agents
Biological
Needles, Lancets, Broken Glassware
Sharp
Preservatives and Reagents
Chemical
Equipment and Radioisotopes
Radioactive
Ungrounded or Wet Equipment and Frayed Cords
Electrical
Open Flame or Organic Chemicals
Fire / Explosive
Wet Floors, Heavy Containers, Patients
Physical
Bacterial, Fungal, Viral, or Parasitic Infections
Biological
Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure, Cuts, or Punctures
Sharp
Exposure to Reagents
Chemical
Generalized Overexposure or Damage to a Fetus
Radioactive
Burns or Shock
Electrical
Burns or Dismemberment
Fire / Explosive
Falls, Sprains, Strains
Physical
Refers to biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily that of humans.
BIOHAZARDS
Chain of Infection
Infectious Agent
Reservoir
Portal of Exit
Means/Mode of Transmission
Portal of Entry
Susceptible Host
Bacteria, Fungi, Parasite, Virus
Infectious Agent
Place where the infectious agent can live and
possibly multiply
Ex: Humans / Animals Inanimate objects (fomites)
Reservoir
A way to exit the reservoir to continue the chain
of infection
Ex: Nose, Mouth, Mucus Membranes, Blood or Body Fluids
Portal of Exit
Early Detection and Treatment
Infectious Agent
Proper disinfection of work area
Reservoir
Proper disposal of Biohazards and sharps
Proper sealing of Containers and Specimens
Portal of Exit
Means of Infectious Agent to reach a susceptible Host:
Ex: Direct Contact
Droplet
Airborne
Vehicle: Contaminated Food or Water
Vector: Insects and other Invertebrates
Means/Mode of Transmission
Means of an Infectious Agents to enter a Susceptible Host
Ex: Nose, Mouth, Mucus Membranes, Open
Wounds
Portal of Entry
Disinfection and sterilization Standard precautions Transmission-based precautions
Portal of Entry
Patient or other Healthcare Worker (Immunocompromised)
Susceptible Host
Handwashing Standard Precautions
Transmission – Based Precautions
Means/Mode of Transmission
Standard Precautions
Immunization
Healthy Lifestyle
Susceptible Host
an infection acquired by a patient during a hospital stay.
Nosocomial/Health-Care–Acquired Infections
refers to an infection acquired by a patient as the result of
a health-care procedure that may or may not require a hospital stay.
Health-care–acquired infection (HAI)
- Including needles, lancets, and broken glassware
- Serious biological hazard for possible exposure to bloodborne pathogens caused by accidental puncture
- When handling needles, NEVER manually recap with both hands
- Needle safety devices must be activated before disposing of the entire blood collection assembly.
SHARPS HAZARDS
- Puncture-resistant, leak-proof containers labeled with the biohazard symbol.
- Containers should be located in close proximity to the phlebotomist’s work area.
Disposal of Sharps
During processing of samples or Preservatives in sample
containers
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
- Encountered in the clinical laboratory when procedures
using radioisotopes, such as radioimmunoassay, are performed. - Exposure to radiation during pregnancy presents a danger to the fetus, and personnel who are or who think they may be pregnant should avoid areas with this symbol.
RADIOACTIVE HAZARDS
- Electrical cords should be checked regularly for fraying and replaced
- All socket should be checked for electrical grounding and leakage at least annually.
- No extension cords should be used in the laboratory
ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
–Safety carriers should always be used to transport glass bottles of acids, alkalis, or organic solvents in volumes larger than 500 mL,
–Approved safety cans should be used for storing, dispensing, or disposing of flammables in volumes greater than 1 quart.
–Steel safety cabinets with self-closing doors or explosion- proof refrigerators
Chemical Storage