With all the
news concerning poor laboratory practices, such as the CDC anthrax incident and
finding cultures of various diseases in storage closets, emphasis on proper
safety in the laboratory environment is essential.
In any
medical laboratory environment, there are inherent dangers which can be
increased unnecessarily by poor safety protocols and practices. As with any job or daily routine, a level of
familiarity can lower one’s guard and open the door for potentially serious
outcomes.
Here is a
list, that may seem common sense and second nature to a laboratorian, which if
followed could prevent many of these opportunities for danger.
1. Treat every sample as a potentially dangerous pathogen.
Any sample that comes through a medical laboratory could contain any
virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite and should be processed with this kept in
mind.
2.
Sterilize all equipment and properly
discard contaminated materials
This serves the purpose of preventing cross contamination between samples
or accidental exposure and keeps the work area uncluttered.
3.
Disinfect work spaces before and
after use
This follows along with the previous rule, keeping the work space clean.
4.
WASH YOUR HANDS!
This is probably the easiest yet most important rule on this list. The significance of proper hand washing technique
and frequency is fundamental to lab safety.
5.
Never mouth pipette
This sounds very strange, but only 20 to 30 years ago, this was a common
practice. Now it has been phased out for
the most part, but still worthy of mention for obvious reasons.
6.
No food or drinks in the laboratory
This is another rule that could become abused in the everyday workplace
due to the daily routine.
7.
Clearly label everything
This practice could prevent accidental exposures do to treatment of a
dangerous substance with insufficient safety protocols, and keeps everyone
informed and on the same level as far as samples and reagents being used are
concerned.
8.
Autoclave any contaminated materials
As with suggestions 2 and 3, the proper discarding of used materials
which have been exposed to hazardous substances or dangerous pathogens is
crucial in keeping what is in the lab from harming others.
9.
Follow proper procedures for spills
and/or exposures
Any laboratory has strict protocols and procedures already set in place
for any potential spills or exposures which could occur within the laboratory
environment. These preplanned actions
are meant to minimize the risk of these hazardous events if they do occur.
Although a certain level of familiarity, comfort, and routine is expected
in any workplace environment, it is the responsibility of everyone involved to
be both vigilant and actively participate in the prevention and implementation
of safety in the laboratory environment.
(The main bullet points where derived from a list from an article by Daniel E. James, “Nine Safe Practices for the
Microbiology Laboratory”, located on the Carolina®
Science and Math Support Website obtained 7/25/2014)
I would add chewing gum to #6. I would also add another point: Leave your phone out of the testing area. It's second nature for us to check the time or a text on our phone. You can transfer material very easily while wearing gloves and then transfer the material again by picking up your phone after taking the gloves off. No one thinks to disinfect the phone/phone case. It pretty much defeats the purpose of wearing gloves.
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