Health and Safety in the Medical Laboratory

The Health and Safety Act 1989

1989

• Duties of the Employer

• Duties of the Employee

• Safety Statement

The Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act 2005

2005

• Safety Representatives

• Risk Assessments

• Emergency procedures and plans for imminent danger

Overheated equipment

Bunsen burner

Fire Prevention

The Fire Prevention Triangle

Paperwork

Oxygen in the air

Flammable reagents

Emergency Plan:

What to do in the event of a fire

Sound the alarm

Proceed to the nearest fire exit

Only people with firefighting training should attempt to extinguish small fires!

Emergency Plan

Assemble at designated assembly point

Do not reenter the building until it is deemed safe

Fire Fighting

Did you know?

According to Section 11 of the 2005 Act, necessary measures for fire fighting must be provided in the work place.

This includes:

CO2 Extinguishers are for electrical fires (e.g. analysers); they put out fires without causing further damage to the equipment.

Fire Fighting

Fire Extinguishers

Fire Blankets

Foam extinguishers are for fires caused by chemicals or other fuels (e.g. paper).

There are many flammable substances that are routinely used in the Histology laboratory.

These include:

- Xylene

- Formalin

Fire Safety in Histology

Flammable substances are stored in fireproof cabinets to prevent them from acting as fire accelerants.

These cabinets ensure that if a fire were to occur, the risk of it coming into contact with flammable substances is low.

A fireproof cabinet

Chemical Agents Regulations 2015

Acts

These regulations state that any exposure to chemicals must be controlled, monitored, and reduced where possible.

Formaldehyde Monitors

Formaldemeter

Formaldehyde is classed as a carcinogen.

The occupational exposure limit value is 0.2ppm in an 8-hour period.

Laboratories must have formaldehyde monitors to ensure that this limit of exposure is not being exceeded.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

MSDS

Each chemical is required to have a MSDS.

These provide important information about the chemical, for example it's ingredients and composition.

MSDS are an EU Directive.

Storage and Disposal Acts

Storage and Disposal

Ensure that hazardous chemicals are stored correctly and disposed of safely.

Flammable reagents are stored in a safety cabinet.

Xylene is disposed of by certified hazardous waste management companies.

Waste segregation:

Waste Segregation

• Purple lid Zulu bins: cytotoxic and chemical waste.
• Black lid Zulu bins: large anatomical waste and waste that cannot be shredded.
• Yellow lid Zulu bins: general biological/ hazardous waste/ P.P.E waste.
• Hard yellow bin with a blue lid: sharps waste that would pierce a plastic bag.
• Blue, inaccessible bins for confidential waste.
• Green bins for recyclable non-hazardous waste.
• White bins for household non-hazardous waste.

Waste Packaging

• Plastic bags that display a biological hazard warning.
• Plastic yellow sacks that display a biological hazard warning.
• Hard yellow containers for sharp waste that could cause injury to the container of the handler of the waste.

Waste Packaging

Hazardous Waste Transportation

• The Carriage of Dangerous Good by Road Act 1998 (no. 43 of 1988)

• The Carriage of Dangerous Good by Road Regulations, 2007 (S.I. No. 288/289 of

2007)

Waste Transportation

Hazardous waste is categorized in groups based on severity, in hospitals it is group A and B.

In the lab, waste may need to be autoclaved before being transported, especially category A substances.

Classification

Classification

Biological agents are classified into 4 risk groups

Classification is based on the ability of an agent to cause infection

• Group 1 agent: unlikely to cause human disease
• Group 2 agent: can cause human disease and is hazardous
• Group 3 agent: can cause severe human disease and is a serious hazard
• Group 4 agent: causes severe human disease and has a high risk of spreading. There is no effective treatment or prophylaxis available

Laboratory Application

Laboratory Application

• There are 4 containment levels for biological agents

• Level 1 is the minimum containment level, whereas 4 is the maximum containment level

• Containment measures are determined based on the containment level of an agent

• Biosafety cabinets used in microbiology laboratories are a containment measure

• These cabinets provide personal and environmental protection against hazardous agents e.g. COVID-19

Biosafety Cabinet

Protective and Preventative Measures

Protective and Preventative Measures

Infection Prevention and Control is highly important. Methods include:

• Decontamination
• Hand hygiene
• Wearing of appropriate PPE
• Vaccinations

Employers must provide employees with training in all these areas