Safety in Histotechnology Labs Flashcards
What should you do after doffing gloves in the histotechnology lab?
Always wash hands before you leave the lab at the hands wash sink.
When should the microtome wheel be locked? What are the consequences if not done properly.
If your hand is not on the wheel handle of the microtome it should be locked.
Consequences are loss of 10% of mark, and worse possibly of severe injury (cut).
What should be done before you clean your microtome after lab work is completed?
Safely remove the blade. The blade should be removed and nudged out with a stick, the blade should be handled on the non sharp side and discarded into the sharps bin.
**Not removing the blade before cleaning is usually how students cut themselves.
Which specimens may be biohazardous and which ones not that come into a histopathology lab?
-At a hospital small specimens are typically put in a fixative immediately, may take hours to be completely fixed.
-Large surgical specimens or amputations are sent to lab without fixation. Any unfixed specimens are potentially biohazardous and treated with the same “routine practice” measurements as with any other body fluid.
- Fresh specimens cut on cryostats are biohazardous.
Use routine practice for biohazardous materials.
Why does RRC not let students use the processer in the lab like they use to?
For safety reasons, it is determined that a proper fume hood would be required. But because RRC does not have that, a respirator is required. Their lab assistant was trained to use a respirator and worked the processor for us to fix and process the tissues for us.
What do you do if you come in contact with chemicals or feel a stinging or burning sensation (or slippery) feeling on the hands or eyes?
Wash your hand or eyes immediately.
What are some other general safety rules discussed (in addition to others learned in foundations of HC and fundamentals of MLS)?
- Do not expose your classmates to chemicals by not cleaning properly.
- Move around the lab carefully.
- label all solutions that are going to be used in the lab.
- Cover all chemical solutions/staining solutions when not in use.
- Do not force staining racks out of the staining jars (histo 2).
How should instruments like knives and scalpels be treated between specimens?
What about microtome blades?
Obviously carefully.
Knives are cleaned and disinfected between specimens.
Scalpel and microtome blades are put in the biohazardous sharps container.
Where should broken glass and slides you do not wish to keep go for disposal?
Broken glass box. They are not infectious.
Unless I am assuming there is a reason you assume they are
How do you properly dispose of formaldehyde/formalin?
Treat it with Formalex Green:
1 part Formalex to 5 parts 10% Formalin, Mix,
Allow to sit 1 hr.
- After that it can be flushed down the drain.
- Untreated formaldehyde/formalin should not be put down the drain.
How do you properly dispose of ethyl alcohol at RRC?
Collected in large waste containers and RRC HSS contacts waste disposal company for proper disposal.
How do you properly dispose of xylene at RRC?
Collected in large waste containers and RRC HSS contacts waste disposal company for proper disposal.
Often recycled.
How do you properly dispose of acid/bases?
Very small amounts can be watered down and put down the sink (acid to water). Large amount or spills must be neutralized first before disposal.
How do you properly dispose of ammonical silver solutions?
Silver must be neutralized with table salt (sodium chloride) as it can react with rust in plumbing. Supernatant can go down the sink. Solids discarded in the waste.
How do you properly dispose of potassium ferrocyanide?
Collect in a waste container. Call RRC HSS to dispose.
