LAB NOTES 1: LABORATORY SAFETY ● Working in the lab under the influence

OVERVIEW: of alcohol or drugs, including certain

● BASIC SAFETY POLICIES prescription and over-the-counter
● HANDWASHING pharmaceuticals that may impair motor
● PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT function and/or judgment, constitutes a
● PROPER WASTE DISPOSAL safety hazard to both you and your lab
● DISINFECTION mates and is strictly prohibited
● OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS ● Inform your instructor/advisor
immediately of accidents, no matter how
BASIC SAFETY POLICIES minor you judge them to be.
● Always use care and common sense in ■ Do not clean up broken glassware or
the laboratory chemical spills until directed by your
instructor/advisor.
● Do not enter the laboratory unless
instructor is present. ● Always supervise experiments or
demonstrations in progress. Never leave
● Avoid using materials to which you have
a laboratory experiment unattended.
known sensitivity
● Locate the first aid equipment in the
HANDWASHING
laboratory and familiarize yourself with
● One of the most important safety
its use.
practices
● Locate the nearest emergency medical
● The best way to break the chain of
help, and identify the easiest and fastest
infection
way to access it.
● Washed with soap and water
● Confirm all directions, procedures, and
other information on the manual with ● If water is not readily available, alcohol
instructor prior to every experiment or hand gel (minimum 62% alcohol) may be
activity. used.
● Always follow the directions provided ● Hands must be thoroughly dried.
with equipment and supplies, even if
they are different than those given in PROCEDURE:
this manual. ● Wet hands and wrists thoroughly under
■ Injuries often result from the misuse running water
of equipment. ● Apply germicidal soap and rub hands
● Remember that absolutely no eating, vigorously for at least 15 seconds,
drinking, smoking, and applying any including between the fingers and
form of cosmetics is allowed in the around and over the fingernails
laboratory. ● Rinse hands thoroughly under running
● Never smell, inhale or taste laboratory water in a downward flow from wrist to
chemicals. Detecting an odor in a fingertips.
laboratory is best done using the ● Dry hands with a paper towel. Use the
technique of WAFTING. paper towel to turn off the faucet
■ It involves drawing one’s hand handles
across the opening of a container in
order to push the odor towards the Hand Washing must be done:
nose. Cup your hand above the ● When there is visible contamination with
container and waft the air toward blood or bloody fluids
your face. ● After completion of work
● Use of headphones or earbuds is ● After gloves are removed and between
prohibited as such prevents the lab glove changes
worker from being fully aware of his/her ● Before leaving the laboratory
surroundings.
● Before and after eating and drinking, between the glove and the hand and
smoking, applying cosmetics, changing a slipping the second glove off. This
contact lens, and using lavatory technique prevents contamination of the
● Before and after all other activities that “clean” hand by the “dirty” second glove.
entail hand contact with mucous
membranes, eyes, or breaks in skin EYEWEAR
● including face shields, goggles, and
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT maskes, should be used when there is
Personal Protective Equipment is worn to potential aerosol mists, splashes, or
minimize exposure to a variety of hazards. It spray to mucous membranes (mouth,
may may include items such as gloves, eyes, nose).
safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs,
hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests. SEQUENCE FOR PUTTING ON PPE BY THE
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
When entering the laboratroy, appropriate PREVENTION (CDC)
clothing that covers you from your
shoulders to your ankles, and closed shoes Donning and doffing is the practice of
with socks, are required. In general, the putting on and removing personal protective
more skin covered the better. Long hair equipment.
should be pulled back and held securely
away from the face. Long nails should be cut DONNING
to prevent easier contamination. Bulky and Donning refers to putting on personal
hanging jewelry should be removed. protective equipment.

OUTER COVERINGS
● Includes gown, laboratory coats, and
sleeve protectors, should be worn when
there is a chance of splashing or spilling
on work clothing.
● The outer covering must be made of
fluid-resistant material, must be long-
sleeved, and must remain buttoned at all
times.

GLOVES
● Must be worn when potential for contact
with blood or body fluids exists
(including when removing and handling
bagged bio hazardous material and
when decontaminating bench tops)
● Must be changed after contact with a
patient, there is visible contamination,
and when physical damage occurs.
● Gloves should not be worn when “clean”
devices are used
● Gloves must not be worn again or
washed

PROPER REMOVAL OF GLOVES

● After one glove is removed, the second
glove can be removed by sliding the
index finger of the ungloved hand
DOFFING DISINFECTION
● Doffing refers to removing personal An appropriate disinfectant solution is
protective equipment. household bleach.
● Add 10 mL of bleach to 90 mL of
water or 212 cups o bleach to 1
gallon of water to achieve the
recommended concentration of
chlorine 55 ppm for sanitation and
600-800 ppm for disinfection
● Made fresh daily
● Labeled property with the name of
solution, the date and time prepared,
the date and time of expiration (24
hours), and the initials of preparer.
● Not recommended for aluminum
surfaces

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
FIRE HAZARD
1. Enforcement of a no-smoking policy.
2. Installation of appropriate fire
extinguishers.
3. Placement of adequate fire detection
systems (alarms, sprinklers), which should
be tested every 3 months.
4. Placement of manual fire alarm boxes
near exit door.
5. Written fire prevention and response
procedures
6. Fire drills, which should be conducted to
that response to a fire situation response.
PROPER WASTE DISPOSAL
Improper waste disposal may severely endanger The National Fire Prevention
public health and/or the environment. The Association (NFPA) is a global, non-profit
handling of hazardous waste must be regulated organization that promotes safety standards,
from the moment of generation until its disposal education, training, and advocacy on fire
at its offsite final destination facility. A waste
and electrical-related hazards.
management system must be devised before
work begins on any laboratory activity.
The NFPA 704 Diamond, commonly referred
Color Coding of Waste Containers according to to as the NFPA Hazard Diamond, provides a
the Department of Health system for identifying the specific hazards of
a material and the severity of the hazard
COLOR CONTAINER WASTER that would occur during an emergency
Red Sharps/Needles response.
Yellow Infectious
Yellow with Black Band Chemical Wastes For Specific Hazard:
Green Non-Infectious Wet ● ACID: Acid or alkaline, to be more
Waste specific;
Black Infectious Dry Waste ● BIO: Biological hazard (e.g. flu virus,
Orange Radioactive Waste rabies virus);
● COR: Corrosive; strong acid or base
(e.g. sulfuric acid, potassium hydroxide);
● CRY: Cryogenic (e.g. liquid nitrogen) CLASS OF FIRE & TYPE OF
EXTINGUISHER TO BE USED
● POI: Poisonous (e.g. strychnine, alpha-
amanitin)
● RA: Radioactive (e.g. plutonium, cobalt-
60, carbon-14)

CHEMICAL HAZARD
1. Labels in all chemicals properly, including
chemicals in secondary containers, with
name and concentration of chemical,
preparation or fill date, expiration date,
initials of preparer, and chemical hazards.
2. Do not use chemical that is not propely
labeled as to identity and content.
3. Follow handling and storage requirements
for all chemicals
4. Store alcohol and other flammable
chemicals in approved safety cans or
storage cabinets
5. Use adequate ventilation when working
with hazardous chemicals
6. Reduce exposure to chemical through
proper protective equipment

ELECTRICAL HAZARD
1. Equipment must be grounded or double
insulated
2. Use of gang plugs should be prohibited
and use of extension cords should be
avoided.
3. Equipment with loose plugs or frayed
cords should not be used.
4. When cord are unplugged, the plug, not
the cord should be pulled.
5. Equipment that causes shock or tingling
sensation should be turned off, the
instrument unplugged and identified as
defective, and the problem reported.
6. Before repair or adjustment of electrical
equipment is attempted, the following
should be done:
 a) Unplug equipment
b) Make sure hands are dry
c) Remove jewelry

REFERENCES:
● “Personal Protective Equipment”.
Occupational Safety and Hazards
Administration. Retrieved from
https://www.osha.gov/personal-
protective-equipment
● “Sequence for Putting On Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE)”. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
Center. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/ppe/ppe-
sequence.pdf
● Patton, K.T. (2007). Laboratory Manual
to Accompany Essentials of Anatomy &
Physiology. 6th Edition. Mc-Graw Hil
International Edition.
● Keohane, E.M. (2019). Rodak’s
Hematology: Clinical Principles and
Applications. 6th Edition. Saunders.