Archive for: Lab Safety
Spill kits: Assembly and function
A spill kit is a set of equipment used for the removal of chemical or microbiological material from a laboratory surface or apparatus.
Chemical Spill Kits
Locate spill kits near chemicals and make sure they are easily accessible. Check the kits on an annual basis and restock them if they are depleted. The content should be specific to the chemicals used at your facility. The kit should contain:
Lab infections don’t always translate to sloppy practices
It’s been a tough last couple weeks at Boston hospitals between a stabbing at Massachusetts General Hospital, and tainted coffee at a Harvard medical laboratory.
You can add another one to the list. An incident at a Boston University medical lab completed the safety trifecta last week when a BU graduate student developed a bacterial infection days after conducting experiments with dangerous meningitis germs, according to The Boston Globe.
If you think the coffee in your office is bad…
Harvard University Medical School locked down its New Research Building on Sunday, according to the Boston Herald.
The reason? Coffee.
In particular coffee that was consumed two months ago by six scientists and students that used a communal single-serve coffee machine. The machine tested positive for a chemical substance known as sodium azide, after all six workers began to feel dizzy and one even passed out, according to an internal memo. Sodium azide is commonly found in labs.
Less stress means fewer accidents in the lab
Are some employees just accident prone? Is there a way to assess personality traits related to the propensity for getting into accidents? If you could identify such traits, could you generalize traits from one setting to another?
Although there is very little data on this subject, there is some. Samantha Dunn, in her book, Not by Accident: Reconstructing a Careless Life (Henry Holt, 2002), suggests that emotional states that lead to distraction can contribute to accidents. Anxiety, stress and depression are at the root of many accidents because they cloud judgments and slow reaction time.
Handling different types of lab waste
Chemical waste must be handled according to the manufacturer’s requirements on the material safety data sheets (MSDS). Hazardous chemical disposal is regulated through state and local governmental agencies. It is important to get proper authorization from these agencies to dispose of the chemicals and utilize licensed lab-packing companies to package and ship the chemical waste for proper disposal.
Regulated waste is placed in containers that are closable and constructed to contain all contents and to prevent fluids from leaking during handling, storage, transport, or shipping. The containers are labeled and closed before removal to prevent the contents from spilling or protruding during handling, storage, transport, or shipping. If outside contamination of the regulated waste container occurs, it is placed in a second container that has the same qualities as the first (e.g., closable, leak-proof) and is handled in the same manner.
ADA and emergency eyewash stations
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard on Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment (Z358.1) does not distinguish access and configuration requirements between disabled and non-disabled employees. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that emergency showers and eyewash stations should be designed to meet both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ANSI requirements.
Often the pull ring for the shower is not within reach of someone using a wheelchair. A simple solution is to attach a string that can be easily reached. Accommodations don’t have to be expensive. When in doubt, ask the affected employee for suggestions.
Understanding permissible exposure limits
Each hazardous chemical in your laboratory has a permissible exposure limit (PEL) assigned to it. It also has an action level. Determining what each one is will identify when you need initiate your respiratory protection program.
When workplace violence affects the lab
Violence is a serious safety and health hazard in many workplaces. We saw a gruesome example of this last week with the death of a Yale graduate student that police are citing as workplace violence.
Most labs are isolated from the general public. Violence often takes place at the draw sites where the phlebotomist interacts with the public. It also may occur when disgruntled or fired workers enact revenge. Employees’ family members or friends can also become violent over a home situation and retaliate at work.
Weekly poll: Workplace violence
The startling story about the death of Yale graduate student Annie M. Le, whose body was found in the wall of a laboratory, has been a shocking reminder that workplace violence can be more serious than we’d all like to believe.
Between unruly patients and the high stress environment, workplace violence can be especially prevalent in the healthcare setting, which makes it even more important to have policies and training to recognize and prevent violence so that employees feel safe coming to work.
Does your facility have these policies in place? Do you feel safe coming to work?
Lab coat Q&A
Q: OSHA requires that PPE provided must “fit” employees properly. I work in a clinical lab that provides one size fits all isolation gowns as our PPE and, of course, one size does not fit all. On most employees they are very large and have lot of extra fabric on the sleeves that hangs down. The lab has requested lab coats, but the hospital does not want to make the change, because of the increased cost of supplying lab coats or disposable lab coats. In your opinion, should lab coats of varying sizes be provided if the lab is to be compliant with the OSHA standard?
