LABORATORY SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT
(OSHA), and strict adherence to these
guidelines by laboratory personnel is essential
TRANS OUTLINE ● The manual must be updated and reviewed
annually by the laboratory director. The Clinical
I. SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
II. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS, BODY SUBSTANCE provides the guidelines for writing these
ISOLATION AND STANDARD PRECAUTIONS procedures and policies.
A. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
B. BODY SUBSTANCE ISOLATION UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS, BSI AND STANDARD
C. STANDARD PRECAUTIONS PRECAUTIONS
D. HAND HYGIENE UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
III. TYPES OF HAZARDS FOUND IN THE
LABORATORY ● Under Universal Precaution (UP) "All patients
A. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS are possible carriers of bloodborne pathogens."
1. INFECTION CONTROL ● The guideline recommends wearing of gloves
2. CHAIN OF INFECTION and face shields and proper disposal of all
3. BIOLOGICAL WASTE DISPOSAL needles and sharp objects in
B. SHARP HAZARDS puncture-resistant containers
C. CHEMICAL HAZARDS
1. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS BODY SUBSTANCE ISOLATION
D. RADIOACTIVE HAZARDS
E. ELECTRICAL HAZARDS ● BSI guidelines are not limited to blood-borne
F. FIRE/EXPLOSIVE HAZARDS pathogens; they consider all body fluids and
G. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS moist body substances to be potentially
CLASSIFICATION infectious.
1. TYPES OF FIRE AND FIRE ● According to BSI guidelines, personnel should
EXTINGUISHER wear gloves at all times when encountering
IV. QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY moist body substances.
CONTROL ● A major disadvantage of BSI guidelines is that
A. PRE-EXAMINATION VARIABLES they do not recommend hand washing after
1. POLICY FOR HANDLING removing gloves unless visual contamination
MISLABELED SPECIMENS is present.
2. CRITERIA FOR URINE SPECIMEN
REJECTION STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
B. EXAMINATION VARIABLES
1. QUALITY CONTROL ● In 1996 the CDC and the Healthcare Infection
C. POST-EXAMINATION VARIABLES Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)
D. QUALITY ASSESSMENT ERRORS combined the major features of UP and BSI
guidelines and called the new guidelines
Standard Precautions.
SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY ○ Handwashing is the easiest and the
best way to break the chain of
● Safety procedure manuals must be readily infection.
available in the laboratory that describe the ○ Any accidental exposure to a possible
safety policies mandated by the Centers for blood-borne pathogen must be
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the immediately reported to a supervisor.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Evaluation of the incident must begin
DJM | A.Y. 2024-2025 Page 1 of 5
, right away to ensure appropriate
postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). INFECTION CONTROL
HAND HYGIENE ● Refers to the policy and procedures
● Hand washing and using alcohol-based implemented to control and minimize the
antiseptic cleaners dissemination of infections in hospitals and
● Hand contact: primary method of infection other healthcare settings with the main
transmission purpose of reducing infection rates.
● Laboratory personnels must always sanitize
hands in fit situations: CHAIN OF INFECTION
o Before and after patient contact
o Before leaving work area ● Requires a continuous link between an
o After removing of gloves infectious agent, a reservoir, a portal of exit, a
o Anytime when hands are contaminated means of transmission, a portal of entry, and a
susceptible host. (IREMES)
TYPES OF HAZARDS
TYPE SOURCE POSSIBLE
INJURY
BIOLOGIC Infectious Bacterial, fungal,
agents viral, parasitic
SHARPS Needles, Cuts, punctures,
lancets, blood-borne
broken glass pathogens
exposure
CHEMICAL Preservatives Exposure to
and reagents toxic,
carcinogenic, or
caustic agents
RADIOACTIVE Equipment Radiation BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
and exposure
radioisotopes
● All biological waste, except urine, must be
ELECTRICAL Ungrounded Burns or shocks placed in appropriate containers labeled with
or wet the biohazard symbol.
equipment; ● Urine may be discarded by pouring it into a
frayed cords laboratory sink
● Disinfection of the sink using a 1:5 or 1:10
FIRE/EXPLOSIVE Open flames, Burns or
organic dismemberment dilution of sodium hypochlorite should be
chemicals performed daily. The same solution also can be
used for routinely disinfecting countertops and
PHYSICAL Wet floors, Falls, sprains, accidental spills.
heavy boxes, strains
patients
REMEMBER: Biohazard warning labels, signs &
containers are to be FLUORESCENT ORANGE-RED with
lettering or symbols in a contrasting color
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
SHARP HAZARDS
DJM | A.Y. 2024-2025 Page 2 of 5
(OSHA), and strict adherence to these
guidelines by laboratory personnel is essential
TRANS OUTLINE ● The manual must be updated and reviewed
annually by the laboratory director. The Clinical
I. SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)
II. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS, BODY SUBSTANCE provides the guidelines for writing these
ISOLATION AND STANDARD PRECAUTIONS procedures and policies.
A. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
B. BODY SUBSTANCE ISOLATION UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS, BSI AND STANDARD
C. STANDARD PRECAUTIONS PRECAUTIONS
D. HAND HYGIENE UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
III. TYPES OF HAZARDS FOUND IN THE
LABORATORY ● Under Universal Precaution (UP) "All patients
A. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS are possible carriers of bloodborne pathogens."
1. INFECTION CONTROL ● The guideline recommends wearing of gloves
2. CHAIN OF INFECTION and face shields and proper disposal of all
3. BIOLOGICAL WASTE DISPOSAL needles and sharp objects in
B. SHARP HAZARDS puncture-resistant containers
C. CHEMICAL HAZARDS
1. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS BODY SUBSTANCE ISOLATION
D. RADIOACTIVE HAZARDS
E. ELECTRICAL HAZARDS ● BSI guidelines are not limited to blood-borne
F. FIRE/EXPLOSIVE HAZARDS pathogens; they consider all body fluids and
G. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS moist body substances to be potentially
CLASSIFICATION infectious.
1. TYPES OF FIRE AND FIRE ● According to BSI guidelines, personnel should
EXTINGUISHER wear gloves at all times when encountering
IV. QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY moist body substances.
CONTROL ● A major disadvantage of BSI guidelines is that
A. PRE-EXAMINATION VARIABLES they do not recommend hand washing after
1. POLICY FOR HANDLING removing gloves unless visual contamination
MISLABELED SPECIMENS is present.
2. CRITERIA FOR URINE SPECIMEN
REJECTION STANDARD PRECAUTIONS
B. EXAMINATION VARIABLES
1. QUALITY CONTROL ● In 1996 the CDC and the Healthcare Infection
C. POST-EXAMINATION VARIABLES Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)
D. QUALITY ASSESSMENT ERRORS combined the major features of UP and BSI
guidelines and called the new guidelines
Standard Precautions.
SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY ○ Handwashing is the easiest and the
best way to break the chain of
● Safety procedure manuals must be readily infection.
available in the laboratory that describe the ○ Any accidental exposure to a possible
safety policies mandated by the Centers for blood-borne pathogen must be
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the immediately reported to a supervisor.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Evaluation of the incident must begin
DJM | A.Y. 2024-2025 Page 1 of 5
, right away to ensure appropriate
postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). INFECTION CONTROL
HAND HYGIENE ● Refers to the policy and procedures
● Hand washing and using alcohol-based implemented to control and minimize the
antiseptic cleaners dissemination of infections in hospitals and
● Hand contact: primary method of infection other healthcare settings with the main
transmission purpose of reducing infection rates.
● Laboratory personnels must always sanitize
hands in fit situations: CHAIN OF INFECTION
o Before and after patient contact
o Before leaving work area ● Requires a continuous link between an
o After removing of gloves infectious agent, a reservoir, a portal of exit, a
o Anytime when hands are contaminated means of transmission, a portal of entry, and a
susceptible host. (IREMES)
TYPES OF HAZARDS
TYPE SOURCE POSSIBLE
INJURY
BIOLOGIC Infectious Bacterial, fungal,
agents viral, parasitic
SHARPS Needles, Cuts, punctures,
lancets, blood-borne
broken glass pathogens
exposure
CHEMICAL Preservatives Exposure to
and reagents toxic,
carcinogenic, or
caustic agents
RADIOACTIVE Equipment Radiation BIOLOGIC WASTE DISPOSAL
and exposure
radioisotopes
● All biological waste, except urine, must be
ELECTRICAL Ungrounded Burns or shocks placed in appropriate containers labeled with
or wet the biohazard symbol.
equipment; ● Urine may be discarded by pouring it into a
frayed cords laboratory sink
● Disinfection of the sink using a 1:5 or 1:10
FIRE/EXPLOSIVE Open flames, Burns or
organic dismemberment dilution of sodium hypochlorite should be
chemicals performed daily. The same solution also can be
used for routinely disinfecting countertops and
PHYSICAL Wet floors, Falls, sprains, accidental spills.
heavy boxes, strains
patients
REMEMBER: Biohazard warning labels, signs &
containers are to be FLUORESCENT ORANGE-RED with
lettering or symbols in a contrasting color
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
SHARP HAZARDS
DJM | A.Y. 2024-2025 Page 2 of 5
