Principles and practice of biosafety - equipment

Question 1

Examples of personal protective equipment

Answer 1

Lab coats

Gloves

Eye protection

Dress

Question 2

Where is information regarding PPE found?

Answer 2

Signs on lab doors

Question 3

Purposes of a coat

Answer 3

Protect from chemicals, fire

Snap closures recommended in case of fire

Question 4

Why are nitrile gloves commonly used?

Answer 4

Non-allergenic

Clear indication of tears ans breaks

Question 5

When are nitrile gloves not recommended?

Answer 5

If hazard can penetrate through plastic

Question 6

When is eye protection recommended?

Answer 6

When there is a recognised risk to the eyes as indicated by the risk assessment

Question 7

What is the purpose of fume hoods?

Answer 7

Decrease the potential for inhalation exposure to chemicals, vapours or toxins

Air is cooled into the face of the hood and exits to outside of the building

Question 8

Procedures to follow during use of fume cupboards

Answer 8

Never allow your head to enter plane of the hood opening

Elevate heavy equipment 2 inches of the base of the hood interior
Keep all the material 6 inches from the sash opening

When not working in the hood, close the sash

Never permanently keep chemicals inside

Report damages to the sash to the administrator

Question 9

When are fume cupboards not appropriate?

Answer 9

For microbiological material

Question 10

What is the purpose of laminar flow hoods?

Answer 10

Act as workbenches with their own filter air supply

HEPA filters remove aerosols from the air and protect the product in the hood

Question 11

What do laminar flow hoods ensure?

Answer 11

The air flowing across the surface is clean

The velocity of the outgoing air prevents the contaminants from the room settle into the hood

Pushes contaminants from objects placed into the hood to the outside

Question 12

What is the purpose of microbiological safety cabinets?

Answer 12

Provide personal, product and environmental protection

Air is drawn into the front of the frill providing personal protection

Question 13

How do microbiological safety cabinets work?

Answer 13

Laminar air passes through the work surface through HEPA filters to remove contamination of microbes to the sample

Exhaust air passes through another HEPA filter before being released to the environment

Question 14

Direction of air in fume hoods

Answer 14

Into the fume cabinets through to the exhaust

Question 15

Direction of air in laminar flow hoods

Answer 15

From the top of the fume hoods out to the environment

Question 16

Direction of air in microbiological safety cabinets

Answer 16

From the top of the cabinet and into the cabinet through to the exhaust

Question 17

What are the two types of microbiological safety cabinets?

Answer 17

Class I

Class II

Question 18

What is the difference between class I and class II safety cabinets?

Answer 18

Class I protects the operator by continuously drawing air into the front of the cabinet

Class II protects both the operator from exposure and the product from external contamination

Question 19

What is a centrifuge?

Answer 19

Motor driven piece of equipment that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis applying a potentially strong force perpendicularly to he axis of the spin

Question 20

What are the uses of centrifuges?

Answer 20

Separate fluids, gas or liquid

Based on density

Question 21

What is an important aspect to properly using a centrifuge?

Answer 21

Need to balance the tubes

If the liquid investigated has a lower/higher density than water, balance the tubes by mass not volume

Question 22

Speeds of a centrifuge

Answer 22

Low < 8 000 rpm

Medium 8 000-30 000 rpm

High around 80 000 rpm

Ultra > 80 000 rpm

Question 23

Important things to ensure after centrifugation

Answer 23

Allow the centrifuge to come to a complete stop

Make sure there are no spilsls or leaks

Wear gloves to remove samples

Question 24

What extra step must be taken when centrifuging an infectious/human sample?

Answer 24

Wait at least 10 minutes after the run

To allow aerosols to settle before opening the centrifuge

Question 25

What are UV transiluminators?

Answer 25

UV light machine commonly used to visualise fluorescent markers used in gel electrophoresis of nucleic acids and proteins

Question 26

What is important to take care of when using a UV transluminators?

Answer 26

Make sure to wear protection

Exposure to UV causes damage after only a few minutes of use

Question 27

What protection should be worn when using a UV transluminator?

Answer 27

Safety goggles

Face shields

Gloves