SAFETY POLICIES

UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS

All human blood, human blood components, products made from human blood and certain other materials are treated and handled as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens

BIOSAFETY

The only “clean” areasof the labs are:

Restrooms Offices

• Items from the “dirty” laboratory area are prohibited inside the “clean” areas. These items would include: PPE, instruments, specimens, etc...

BIOSAFETY (CONTINUED…)

All other areas of the laboratory are considered “dirty” areas

In these areas of the laboratory the following PPE should be worn:

Lab coat Gloves Protective eyewear

LAB COAT USE

• All personnel must wear laboratory coats while in the laboratory Do not wear in the halls Do NOT wear into bathrooms Do not wear outside Remove lab coat prior to exiting

labs, replace when contaminated or dirty

LATEX ALLERGIES

Latex is not used in the laboratory

For more information about latex policies see the General Laboratory Safety Plan on:

SAFETY POLICIES: HAND WASHING

Hand washing is the single most important precaution in preventing the spread of biological agents

Antiseptic soap is located at all sink stations

Wash your hands frequently and each time you remove your gloves.

SAFETY POLICIES: MOUTH PIPETTING

No mouth pipetting.

During procedures involving blood, body fluids and/or infectious materials “universal precautions” should be followed.

Safety Policies: Sharps

• Contaminated needles are NOT recapped and should be placed in a puncture proof container• The only exception is if the procedure you

are following calls for the needle to be recapped, in which case, the “one handed” method should be used as depicted here.

• Please note this method is NOT currently used in any of our procedures.

SAFETY POLICES: ATTIRE AND SMOKING

Clothing

Legs must be covered (No shorts)• Always wear closed shoes (No

sandals) No smoking in/or around the laboratory. No chewing tobacco in laboratory “dirty

areas”. Long hair must be tied. Long nails are not convenient when use

gloves.

SAFETY POLICIES: FOOD

No eating, drinking or chewing gum in laboratory “dirty areas”.

Food and drink may not be stored in refrigerators or cabinets where infectious materials may be present.

SAFETY POLICIES:COSMETICS AND CONTACTS

NO application of cosmetics or lip balm in the “dirty area” of the laboratory.

NO manipulation of contact lenses in the “dirty area” of the laboratory.

SAFETY POLICES: TRANSPORTATION

All clinical specimens and chemicals must be transported in a secondary container.

All chemicals greater than 500ml must be transported with a secondary container and cart.

FIRE SAFETY

• For information on fire safety, please review the Fire Safety training module in the laboratory training section on :

CHEMICAL SPILLS

• In the event of a chemical spill, follow the procedures outlined in the Chemical Hygiene Plan located on:

• Determine if everybody is safe and uninjured

• Relocate to a safe area• Notify a supervisor

CHEMICAL SPILLS (CONTINUED…)

If anyone comes in contact with a chemical, follow the safety procedures as outlined in the Chemical Hygiene Plan located on the intranet:

In our laboratory we have safety eyewashes and showers to help you if you were to spill a chemical on yourself.

SAFETY EYEWASH STATIONS

Safety Eyewash Station are next to the sink at the following locations:

Building 1, first floor;

rooms # 121; 122 and 123. Building 1, second

floor; rooms # 214, 215, 216, 217, 218 and 220.

SAFETY EYEWASH STATION (CONTINUED…)

If a chemical gets in your eye, flush your eye with water for 15 minutes while a coworker notifies a supervisor and reads the MSDS to determine your next step in treatment, then proceed to the hospital.

SAFETY SHOWERS

• Safety Shower Locations:• Building 1 hallway first floor

• Building 2 hallway second floor

• If you have spilled chemicals on your body, rinse the area in the shower or sink for 5 minutes, have someone notify a supervisor, and then proceed to the hospital.

• To prevent chemicals from touching your skin do not wear open toed shoes or shorts.

CHEMICAL SPILL KIT

Check your work area.

Each work area has a spill kit available.

Spill materials are also located by the acids cabinets.

CHEMICAL SPILL KIT (CONTINUED…)

Follow the procedures outlined in the Chemical Hygiene Plan SOP # N6-QM-GEN 018 located on L/5000 QM.

Do NOT attempt to clean chemical spills of 1 liter or greater. Contact Safety at extension 147 for further assistance.

RESPIRATORS

Please contact Safety prior to performing any procedure that requires a respirator.

Please note, currently we do not have any procedures requiring a respirator.

Standard Protocol in BSL3 Lab requires all personnel to use a PAPR.

SAFETY HOODS

Please clean hoods with 70% alcohol before and after use.

For your protection and the protection of your coworkers please remember to keep the sash at its recommended marks to maintain maximum airflow.

DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING ON HOOD BLOWER GRATE!

FUME HOOD

• There is a fume hood in building 1, first floor, room # 121.

• This hood should only be used to aliquot specific chemicals into smaller amounts (10-20 mg/ml):

• Please contact Safety Coordinator for further information.

PREVENTING CROSS CONTAMINATION

All personnel must report the introduction of new material into the laboratories, especially for individual/special projects prior to using the laboratories.

Do not initiate work with new pathogens without researching and documenting the biosafety requirements first.

PREVENTING CROSS CONTAMINATION (CONTINUED…)

• Do not bring new items into the laboratory without screening for compatibility with other materials or checking for additional regulatory requirements.

• This includes but is not limited to:

• Certain hazardous chemicals, drugs, etc.

• Pathogens that require import and registration permits prior to handling.

Laboratory material must be kept separate according to material compatibility: acids vs. bases, clean vs. dirty areas, animal vs. human material, opened vs. unopened bottles.

In situations where space is limited, work areas must be completely decontaminated (autoclave, VHP, 10% bleach, etc.) before new work involving different biological material can begin.

Preventing Cross Contamination (Continued…)

DECONTAMINATION

If a contamination event occurs, discontinue work and notify a supervisor.

Depending on the level of contamination, some situations may be more difficult to process.

Obtain as much information as possible, to prevent the event from occurring again.

DECONTAMINATION (CONTINUED…)

A list of items may be necessary for reference, if discarded due to gross contamination.

Perform the decontamination as necessary, complete a QA Challenge; document the action.

DECONTAMINATION (CONTINUED…)

For questions and concerns or if you are unsure about any material in your laboratory, please contact a supervisor for guidance.

Also, there is a Hazardous Materials and Chemicals Hygiene Officer, and

They can provide solutions to safety concerns as necessary.