Laboratory Safety and Equipment Flashcards
3 Elements of Chain of infection
o A source
o A mode of transmission
o A susceptible host
These are indicative of what guidelines?
➢ Wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
➢ Change gloves between patients
➢ Wash hands after removing gloves
➢ Dispose biohazardous material in designated containers
➢ Properly dispose of sharps in puncture-resistant
containers
➢ Do not recap needles
➢ Follow institutional protocol governing work when ill
➢ Acquire necessary vaccinations
➢ Decontaminate work areas and equipment
➢ Do not centrifuge uncapped tubes
➢ Do not eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics in the work
area
TRANSMISSION PREVENTION GUIDELINES
These are the steps for Donning or Doffing?
- Perform hand hygiene
- Put on shoe covers (if applicable)
- Put on gown
- Put on mask/respirator (if applicable)
- Put on eye protection (if applicable)
- Put on gloves
Donning PPE (Putting on)
These are the steps for Donning or Doffing?
- Remove shoe covers (if applicable)
- Remove gown and gloves together*
- Perform hand hygiene
- Remove eye protection (if applicable)
- Remove mask/respirator (if applicable)
- Perform hand hygiene
Doffing PPE (Taking off)
Wash hands with soap and water when visibly dirty or visibly soiled with blood or other body fluids or after using the toilet
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
If exposure to potential spore-forming pathogens is strongly suspected or proven, including outbreaks of Clostridium difficile, hand washing with soap and water is the preferred means.
TRUE
Use an alcohol-based handrub as the preferred means for routine hand antisepsis in all other clinical situations listed below, if hands are not visibly soiled.
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
If alcohol-based handrub is not obtainable, wash hands with soap and water.
When to perform hand hygiene?
before and after touching the patient.
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
before handling an invasive device for patient care, regardless of whether or not gloves are used
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
after contact with inanimate surfaces and objects (including medical equipment) in the immediate vicinity of the patient
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
after contact with body fluids or excretions, mucous membranes, non-intact skin, or wound dressings
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
if moving from a contaminated body site to another body site during care of the same patient
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
after removing sterile or non-sterile gloves
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
Before handling medication or preparing food perform hand hygiene using an alcohol-based handrub or wash hands with either plain or antimicrobial soap and water
YES OR NO
YES
When to perform hand hygiene?
Soap and alcohol-based handrub should be used concomitantly
YES OR NO
NO
Soap and alcohol-based handrub should NOT be used concomitantly (at the same time)
Equipment and supplies that are contaminated with blood and other body fluids must be disposed properly.
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
non- infectious dry waste
black
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
non-infectious wet waste
Green
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
infectious pathologic waste
Yellow
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
chemical waste and heavy metals
Yellow with black band
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
radioactive waste
orange
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
sharps
red
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
soiled linen
White or clear plastics
BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
for autoclaving
Light blue or transparent with blue inscription
Blood and other body fluid spillage on the working area must be disinfected. The most common disinfectant is ________________________ prepared weekly and stored in a plastic, not a glass container.
1:10 dilution of sodium hypochlorite (household bleach)
What hazard is being described?
The primary personal safety rule when using needles is to never recap a needle manually. All sharps must be disposed in puncture-resistant, leak-proof containers labeled with the biohazard symbol.
SHARP HAZARDS
What hazard is being described?
General rules for safe handling of chemicals include taking precautions to avoid contact of chemicals to body surface, spillage on clothes and work area; wearing PPE, such as safety goggles when pouring chemicals, observing strict labeling practices, and carefully following instructions.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Chemicals should never be mixed together. Follow specific instruction in adding one chemical with another. This is particularly important when combining acid and water. Acid should always be added to water to avoid the possibility of sudden splashing.
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
Acid over water
When the skin or the eye gets in contact with chemical flush immediately with running water for at least (20) minutes and then seek medical attention
TRUE OR FALSE
FALSE
Its only 15 mins
What hazard is being described?
The amount of radioactivity present in most medical situations is very small and represents little danger; however, the effects of radiation are related to the length of exposure and are cumulative. Exposure to radiation is dependent on the combination in time, distance and shielding.
RADIOACTIVE HAZARDS
What hazard is being described?
The danger of water or fluid coming in contact with any equipment is greater in the healthcare setting. Electrical equipment must be closely monitored by designated hospital personnel. However, the health care providers should be observant of any dangerous conditions such as frayed cords and overloaded circuits and should report these occurrences to the proper authority. Equipment that has become wet should be unplugged and allowed to dry completely before reusing. Equipment should also be unplugged before cleaning. It is required that all electrical equipment is grounded with a three-pronged plug.
ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
When a situation involving electrical shock occurs, it is important to remove the electrical source immediately. This must be done without touching the person or the equipment because the current will pass on to you. Turning off the circuit breaker and moving the equipment using a nonconductive glass or wood object are safe procedures to follow. The victim should receive immediate medical assistance following discontinuation of the electricity. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is NOT necessary.
TRUE OR FALSE
FALSE
It MAY be necessary to conduct CPR
Initial steps to follow when fire is discovered
- Rescue – anyone in immediate danger
- Alarm – activate the institutional fire alarm system
- Contain – close all doors affected areas
- Extinguish/Evacuate – extinguish the fire, if possible, or
evacuate, closing the door.
These are the general precautions of?
- Avoid running around in rooms and along hallways.
- Be alert for wet floors.
- Bend the knees when lifting heavy objects or patients.
- Keep long hair tied back and remove dangling jewelry to avoid contact with equipment and patients.
- Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes with non-skid soles that provide maximum support.
- Maintain a clean, organized work area
Physical Hazards
Class A Laboratory Glassware
Borosilicate material
Most Laboratory supplies must satisfy certain aspects like:
o Tolerances of accuracy and fall (Class A or B)
o Purpose
o Types and Content material
o Specific uses
o Limitation of use
o Accuracy Specification
What is this glassware?
➢ Most common type of glassware with low alkali content.
➢ Resistant to heat, corrosion, and thermal shock and
should be used whenever heating or sterilization by heat.
➢ Commercial brands: Pyrex, Kimax
➢ Should not be heated with a direct flame or hotplate.;
Straining point of 515°C (Pyrex).
➢ Mechanical strength and thermal and chemical resistance
are well-balanced.
➢ Rapid cooling but will break if it exceeds 515°C
Borosilicate Glass (THERMAL-RESISTANT)
What is this glassware?
➢ Has high silica content - comparable to quartz in its heat
resistance, chemical stability, and electrical
characteristics.
➢ Commercial brand: Corex
➢ Six times stronger than borosilicate glass and resists
clouding and scratching better.
➢ Resist Radiation and can be used for optical reflectors
and mirrors.
➢ Not used and found generally in a laboratory.
➢ Strengthened chemically rather than thermally
ALUMINA-SILICATE GLASS
➢ Contains materials that usually impart an amber or red
color to the glass and reduce the amount of light
transmitted through to the substance in the glassware.
➢ Used for substances that are particularly sensitive to
light.
o Bilirubin
o Retinol
➢ Commonly used as containers to store control materials
and reagents.
LOW ACTINIC GLASS (AMBER COLORED)
➢ Soda-lime glass composed of a mixture of the oxides of
silicon, calcium, and sodium
➢ Most inexpensive glass - much less resistant to high
temperature and sudden changes in temperature and
chemical changes
➢ High availability but brittle
➢ Releases alkali to solution which affects result
FLINT-GLASS
made to be used and discarded with no need for cleaning either before or after use.
DISPOSABLE GLASSWARES
These are?
o Cheaper and more durable.
o Greatest advantage - Unbreakable.
o Alkaline solutions must be stored in plastic
LABORATORY PLASTICWARE (advantages)
These are?
o Leaching of surface-bound constituents into solutions.
o Permeability to water vapor result to evaporation of
solution.
o Absorption of dyes, stains or proteins
LABORATORY PLASTICWARE (disadvantages)
➢ This type of plastic may be flexible or rigid is chemically
resistant and can be autoclaved.
➢ Special type - used for cryogenic procedures and can
withstand temperature down to -190°C.
POLYPROPYLENE
A good example is pipette tips
➢ Widely used in plasticware.
➢ May bind or absorb proteins, dyes, stains, and picric acid.
➢ test tubs, transfer pipettes, rubber stoppers
POLYETHYLENE
➢ has a useable temperature range: -100°C to +160°C.
➢ A very strong plastic that is unsuitable for strong acids,
bases, and oxidizing agents.
➢ May be autoclaved but with limitations.
POLYCARBONATE
➢ rigid, clear type of plastic that should not be autoclaved.
➢ Polystyrene tubes will crack and splinter when crushed.
➢ tubes, cups of tubes
➢ Not resistant to most hydrocarbons, ketones
POLYSTYRENE
➢ Almost Chemically inert and suitable for use at
temperatures ranging from -100°C to +400°C.
➢ Widely resistant to different chemical classes including
acid, bases alcohol and hydrocarbons.
TEFLON
Volumetric glassware designated as Class A has been manufactured to Class A tolerances as established by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E694 for volumetric apparatus.
VOLUMETRIC LABORATORYWARE
is a cylindrical glass tube used in measuring fluids. Pipettes are calibrated to deliver or transfer, a specified volume from one vessel to another.
Pipette
Pipettes used in clinical laboratories include manual transfer and measuring pipettes, micropipettes, and electronic and mechanical pipetting devices.
TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
Which pipette design is this?
holds or contains a particular volume but does not dispense that exact volume.
To contain
Which pipette design is this?
designed to drain by gravity. TD pipets must be held vertically, and the tip placed against the side of the container and must not touch the liquid. The exact volume is obtained when draining stops
to deliver
Which Pipette drainage characteristic is this?
with Etched rings on top of pipet. Bands on top
Blowout type
Which Pipette drainage characteristic is this?
without Etched rings and drained
Self-draining
➢ Transfer Type of pipette calibrated to deliver a fixed volume of liquid by drainage.
➢ used to measure standard solutions, unknown blood, serum, plasma, urine, CSF
VOLUMETRIC PIPETTE
➢ similar to volumetric pipettes but have the bulb closer to the delivery tip and are used for accurate measurement of viscous fluids such as blood or serum.
➢ it has etched rings near the mouth, indicating it is a blowout type
OSTWALD -FOLIN
➢ Do not have calibration marks and are used to transfer solutions or biologic fluids without consideration of a specific volume.
PASTEUR PIPETTE
➢ Routinely used pipet in today’s clinical chemistry laboratory.
➢ Advantages: Safety, stability, ease of use, increased precision, ability to save time, and less cleaning required .
➢ May not be cleaned
AUTOMATIC PIPETTE (MACRO/MICRO)
TYPES OF TRANSFER PIPETTES
VOLUMETRIC PIPETTE
OSTWALD -FOLIN
PASTEUR PIPETTE
AUTOMATIC PIPETTE (MACRO/MICRO)
➢ It is graduated to the end of the delivery tip and has an etched band on the suction piece. Itis therefore designed to be blown out mechanically.
SEROLOGICAL PIPETTE
➢ measure the volume of the liquid dispensed, although not as accurately as a volumetric pipette. These use a series of marked lines to indicate the different volumes.
➢ Self-draining pipette.
MOHR PIPETTE
TYPES OF GRADUATED/MEASURING PIPETTE
SEROLOGICAL PIPETTE
MOHR PIPETTE
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
is the topmost part of the micropipette. Pushing down the plunger helps in the aspiration and dispensation of the desired amount of liquids. It consists of two stops, the first stop is for aspiration and the second stop is for dispensation.
Plunger
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
A button beside the plunger helps in the ejection/removal of pipette tips without using hands
Tip ejector button
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
It is a knob attached to the plunger. Turning it helps in adjusting the desired volume in the adjustable volume micropipette. It cannot be turned/rotated in a fixed volume micropipette
Volume adjustment knob
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
It displays the volume that the micropipette can withdraw
Digital volume display window
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
It is an extension of the tip ejector button. It puts pressure on the pipette cone once the ejector button is pressed
Ejector arm
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
It is the place where the pipette tip is attached
Tip cone
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
It is equipment made up of virgin polypropylene or molded plastics that come in direct contact with the liquid
Pipette tip
PARTS OF MICROPIPETTE
is a tube-like structure filled with air in an air displacement micropipette. Once you press the piston, some amount of air from the shaft releases, helping in the aspiration of liquid. In contrast, releasing the piston helps dispense liquid, and the air again fills up the shaft.
Plastic shaft
Volume delivery that is highly accurate for standard pipetting applications. However, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and the specific gravity and viscosity of the solution, may affect the performance of air displacement pipettes.
Air displacement pipettes
Volume delivery that is based on direct contact of the piston with the liquid. The aspirated liquid amount depends on the cylinder or capillary’s dimensions and the piston’s movement distance. In positive displacement pipettes the tips contain both the cylinder/capillary and the piston
Positive displacement pipettes
What is being described here?
➢ To calibrate is to divide the glassware or mark it with graduations (or other indices of quantity) for the purpose of measurement. Calibration marks will be seen on every piece of volumetric glassware used in the laboratory.
➢ Most volumetric glassware temperature is calibrated at 20°C
Calibration
Calibrating medium for TD pipettes
Distilled H20
Calibrating medium for TC pipettes
Mercury
most desirable method for pipette calibration but time consuming and impractical
Gravimetric validation
Monitor the temperature in refrigerators, freezers, water baths, heating blocks, and incubators
Thermometer
requires that the bulb and entire column of liquid be immersed into the medium measured
Total Immersion Thermometer
must have the bulb and stem immersed to the immersion line or defined depth on the thermometer
Partial Immersion Thermometers
METHODS OF PIPPETE VOLUME DELIVERY
Air displacement pipetting
Positive displacement pipetting
To contain; has a round, lower portion with a flat bottom and a long, thin neck with an etched calibration line.
used to bring a given reagent to its final volume with the prescribed diluent
VOLUMETRIC FLASK
designed to hold different volumes rather than one exact amount. Has wide bottom that gradually evolves into a smaller, short neck.
ERLEN MEYER FLASK
Has a flat bottom, straight sides, and an opening as wide as the flat base, with a small spout in the lip.
GRIFFIN BEAKERS
Are long, cylindrical tubes usually held upright by an octagonal or circular base.
GRADUATED CYLINDER
looks like a wide, long, graduated pipet with a stopcock at one end. A burette’s usual total volume ranges from 25 to 100 mL of solution and is used to dispense a particular volume of liquid during a titration.
BURETTE
Materials that are very hygroscopic can remove moisture from the air as well as from other materials.
DESICANT
➢ device that uses centrifugal force to subject a specimen to a specified constant force, for example to separate various components of a fluid.
➢ Separation of cells or clotted blood from plasma or serum is done on an ongoing basis in the handling and processing of the many specimens needed for the various divisions of the clinical laboratory
CENTRIFUGE
