Laboratory Safety Update

 

By Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP)MA Ed.

 

The Safety Lady®

 

 

 

Anyone working in a laboratory knows how important training is to the success of the operation.  Safety in the laboratory is no exception.  After all, safety is the one thing in your laboratory that never takes a vacation.  Below is a summary of some of the top issues for all laboratories regardless of size.

 

Safety Audit

 

Each year every lab should undergo a comprehensive safety audit.   The audit includes such things as making sure your fire extinguishers have not expired, that clean lab coats and those in use are segregated, that biosafety cabinets and hoods are in working order and are certified annually.  You must make sure eyewash stations and safety showers are within 100 feet or a ten second walk from hazardous chemicals.  Chemicals must be inventoried annually and MSDS be available in hard copy or by electronic means with in 5 minutes of a request.

 

Bloodborne Pathogens

 

OSHA issues interpretation letters to clarify the standards and provide guidance to employers in what is and is not acceptable.  Below is a list that came out in 2007.  Updates can be found on the OSHA website www.osha.gov.

 

  • Annual bloodborne pathogen training is required regardless of the employees’ prior training or education.  Refresher training does not have to be an exact repetition of the initial training.
  • Annual training need not be performed on the exact anniversary date of the preceding training but should be provided on a date reasonably close to the anniversary date.  Employers who miss the annual training date should record why the training is delayed and when it will be provided. 
  • Urine containers and pregnancy tests that do not contain visible blood do not required biohazard (red bag) disposal.
  • Employers are responsible for evaluating the need for PPE and not a manufacturer’s claim.
  • First aid must be available within three to four minutes even if using in-house or outside emergency services.
  • Every employer must have a written, dated record of each dose of hepatitis B vaccination even if that means contacting an employee’s previous employer.
  • Bloodborne Pathogen training must be provided in a manner that the recipient is able to understand. This includes non-English-speaking or limited-English-proficient employees.
  • Gloves must be changed between patient contacts.

 

Additional bloodborne pathogen issues include:

 

  • Covering the tops of tubes with a gauze when opening blood tubes
  • Using eye protection in the form of safety glasses, face mask or working behind a protective shield to prevent splashing and sprays while working.

 

There has been controversy as to whether pipette tips are considered a sharp and if this is an OSHA or DOT regulation. The CFR 173.134 reads in part “Sharps means any object contaminated with a pathogen or that may become contaminated with a pathogen through handling or during transportation and also capable of cutting or penetrating skin or packaging material.  Sharps include needles, syringes, scalpels, broken glass, culture slides (glass) culture dishes (glass) broken capillary tubes, broken rigid plastic and exposed ends of dental wires.”   According to the definition, only broken glass or plastic is considered a sharp.  The potential to break is not specifically addressed.  The issue then becomes, will the plastic tips puncture the red bag and cause the healthcare worker potential exposure.  Each facility should address this issue in its safety committee and come up with a policy and procedure for dealing with this type of waste.

 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

 

Shoes

 

According to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) document GP17-A2, shoes should be comfortable, rubber-soled, and cover the entire foot.   Because canvas shoes will absorb chemicals or infectious fluids, they are not recommended (if worn, they should be covered with disposable, fluid-resistant shoe covers).  Leather or a synthetic, fluid-impermeable material is recommended.  Many healthcare workers wear a rubber like open back shoes with holes in the top more commonly called Crocs.  This type of footwear does not cover the entire foot and is not allowed in the lab

 

Lab Coats

 

Many labs are using disposable lab coats.  During the dry season static electricity builds up in the disposable coats and causes havoc with equipment and computers.  Now there are coats made of a super antistatic material that is equal to clean room cloth garments and will prevent static buildup that is so dangerous in a laboratory.   For more information, contact your disposable lab coat vendor and ask for coats made with the antistatic material.

 

Nails

 

According to the CDC, for good infection control, nails should not be longer than one quarter inch beyond the tip of the finger.  Nails that are longer don’t fit into gloves properly and can hinder blood collection as well as testing. 

 

Training

 

It is a fact that employees dread safety training because it is the same old dull, boring and repetitive material, month after month, year after year.  To give your safety inservices some punch, encourage employees to utilize both logical and creative sides of their brains.  Not sure what needs to be covered?  Here is what is needed to make sure your employees are informed:

 

  • January – Specimen Transport
  • February – Hoods and Environmental Concerns
  • March – Personal Protective Equipment
  • April – Ergonomics
  • May – Bloodborne Pathogens
  • June – General Safety
  • July – Compressed Gases
  • August – Safe Work Practices
  • September – Chemical Hygiene
  • October – Fire Safety
  • November – Electrical Safety
  • December – Waste Management

 

So how do you do this?   How about a case study that can get discussion started.  Use a game to get the point across.  Divide the class into teams and ask trivia questions of the team.  The winners get a coupon for a free drink in the cafeteria.  For more information check out HCPro’s book titled Lab Safety Training Made Simple at http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod.cfm?id=4484&CFID=3863672&CFTOKEN=25124785 for creative ideas over 12 different lab safety subjects.