WHY IS LAB SAFETY

IMPORTANT?

 Laboratory safety is a major aspect of every lab

based science class.
 Laboratory safety rules and symbols are needed
so that students do not injure themselves or their
classmates.
 1989 – The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention published “Guidelines
for Prevention of Transmission of HIV
and Hepatitis B virus to Health-Care and
Public Safety Workers”
> CDC guidelines recommend precautions
to protect health care and public safety
workers from exposure to HIV and
hepatitis B virus.
> These guidelines are presented to
reaffirm the basic principles involved in
the transmission of NOT only the AIDS
and hepatitis B viruses, but also any
disease-producing organism.
Based on the CDC guidelines for health care workers, as well as
on other standard additional laboratory precautions and
procedures, the following list has been developed for your
safety in the laboratory.
1. Arrive on time.
 Laboratory directions and procedures are given at the
beginning of the laboratory period.
2.Read all experiments before
you come to class to be
sure that you understand
all the procedures and
safety precautions.
 Ask the instructor about
any procedure you do NOT
understand exactly.
 Do NOT improvise any
procedure.
 3. Protective eyewear and laboratory coats or
aprons must be worn by all students performing
or observing the experiments.
4. Do NOT perform any unauthorized
experiments.

5. Do NOT bring any unnecessary items to the

laboratory and do NOT place any personal
items on the laboratory table or at your feet.

6. Make sure each apparatus is supported and

squarely on the table.
7. Tie back long hair to
prevent it from becoming
a laboratory fire hazard.

8. Never remove equipment,

chemicals, biological
materials, or any other
materials from the
laboratory.
9. Do NOT operate any equipment until you are instructed in
its proper use.
 If you are unsure of the procedures, ask the instructor.

10. Dispose of chemicals, biological materials, used

apparatus, and waste materials according to your
instructor’s directions.
 Not all liquids are to be disposed of in the sink.
11. Do NOT put anything in the mouth while in the
laboratory.
 NEVER eat, drink, taste chemicals, lick labels, smoke,
or store food in the laboratory
12. Your instructor will show you the location of
emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, fire
blankets, and first-aid kits as well as eyewash
stations.
 Memorize their locations and know how to use them.
13. Wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.
 Use liquid or powdered soaps --- bar soaps can
become contaminated.
 Remove any protective clothing before leaving the
laboratory.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

1. Wear gloves when touching another person’s blood or

other body fluids.
2. Wear safety goggles when working with another
person’s blood.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

3. Wear a mask and protective eyewear or a face shield

during procedures that are likely to generate droplets
of blood or other body fluids.
4. Wear gown or an apron during procedures that are
likely to generate splashes of blood or other body
fluids.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

5. Wash your hands immediately and

thoroughly if contaminated with
blood or other body fluids.
 Hands can be rapidly disinfected
by using:
a. Phenol disinfectant-detergent for
20 to 30 seconds and then rinsing
with water
b. Alcohol (50 to 70%) for 20 to 30
sec, followed by soap scrub of 10
to 15 sec and rinsing with water.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

6. Spills of blood, urine, or other body fluids onto bench

tops can be disinfected by flooding them with a
disinfectant-detergent.
 The spill should be covered with disinfectant for 20
minutes before being cleaned up.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

7. Potentially infectious wastes, including human body

secretions and fluids, and objects such as slides,
syringes, bandages, gloves, and cotton balls
contaminated with those substances, should be
placed in an autoclave container.
 Sharp objects should be placed in a puncture-proof
sharp containers.
 Contaminated glassware should be placed in a
container of disinfectant and autoclaved before it is
washed.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

8. Use only single-use, disposable lancets, and needles.

 Never recap, bend, or break the lancet once it has
been used.
 Place used lancets, needles, and other sharp
instruments in a fresh 1:10 dilution of household
bleach (sodium hypochlorite) or other disinfectant
such as phenols, aldehydes and 70% ethyl alcohol
and then dispose of the instruments in a puncture-
proof container.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

9. All reusable instruments should be disinfected with a

fresh 1:10 solution of household bleach or other
disinfectant and thoroughly washed with soap and
hot water.

10. A laboratory disinfectant should be used to clean

laboratory surfaces before and after procedures, and
should be available for quick cleanup of any blood
spills.
B. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO WORKING WITH
BLOOD, BLOOD PRODUCTS, OR OTHER BODY FLUIDS.

11. Mouth pipetting should never be done.

 Use mechanical pipetting devices for
manipulating all liquids in the
laboratory.

12. All procedures and manipulations that

have a high potential for creating
aerosols or infectious droplets should
be performed carefully.
 A biological safety cabinet or other
primary containment device is
required.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
1.Use extreme care when working with reagents.
 Should any reagents make contact with your
eyes --- flush with water for 15 min;
 Make contact with the skin --- flush with water
for 5 mins.
 Notify the instructor immediately should a
reagent make contact with your eyes or skin,
and seek immediate medical attention.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
2. Report all accidents to your instructor, no matter
how minor they may appear.

3. When you are working with chemicals or

preserved specimens, the room should be well
ventilated.
 Avoid breathing fumes for any extended period
of time.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
4. Never point the opening of a test tube containing
a reacting mixture (especially when heating)
toward yourself or another person.
5. Exercise care in noting the odor of fumes.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
6. Do NOT force glass tubing or a thermometer into
rubber stoppers.
 Lubricate the tubing and introduce it gradually
and gently into the stopper.
 Protect your hands with towelling when
inserting the tubing or thermometer into the
stopper.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
7. Never heat a flammable liquid over or near an
open flame.

8. Use only glassware marked Pyrex or Kimax.

 Other glassware may shatter when heated.
 Handle hot glassware with test-tube holders.

9. If you have to dilute an acid, always add acid to

water.
C. PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO
WORKING WITH REAGENTS
10. When shaking a test tube or bottle to mix its
contents, do NOT use your fingers as a
stoppers.

11. Read the label on a chemical twice before using

it.

12. Replace caps or stoppers on bottles immediately

after using them.
 UNIVERSAL PRECAUTION
 The Department of Health recommended that
regardless of patient’s age, ethnicity, gender,
background or lifestyle, healthcare workers are
to treat ALL blood and some body fluids from
ALL patients as potentially infectious ALL of the
time.
 This practice is known as UNIVERSAL
PRECAUTION.
 Universal precaution protect both staff and
patients from hospital acquired infection.
 UNIVERSAL PRECAUTION
 Is the term applied to treating ALL blood, tissues
and some body fluids as potentially infectious.
 The appropriate level of precautions necessary is
determined according to the extent of possible
exposure to blood and body fluid and NOT
because of the speculation of the infectious
status of the patient.
 The most likely means of transmission of blood
borne pathogens is direct percutaneous
inoculation of infected blood or body fluid.
 UNIVERSAL PRECAUTION
 Body fluid to be treated with Universal Precaution
are the following:
(I) a. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) f. Amniotic fluid
b. Peritoneal fluid g. Urine
c. Pericardial fluid h. Synovial fluid
d. Pleural fluid i. Semen
e. Vaginal secretions
(II) Any other body fluid containing visible blood
including saliva
(III) Tissues and organs
SAFETY LABORATORY SIGNS
SAFETY LABORATORY SIGNS