Safety Precaution Against infection in medical laboratory

All specimen brought to medical laboratory should considered as a great hazard, pathogenic. It is a bad practice to assume that only sample collected for bacteriological investigation are pathogenic or infectious. For example blood sample send for malaria investigation may still be the same sample send for HIV investigation, this is applicable to other sample such as seminal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid etc.

With this trend it therefore advice that all laboratory workers must adhere to some dos and don’ts when working in the laboratory to prevent laboratory acquired infection. Here are some rule that governing people working the laboratory;

1. He or she must wear a protective cloth (laboratory coats/gown) over normal cloth, also wear cover shoes and not work with barefooted in the laboratory.
2. Considered all specimen send to laboratory to be infectious as such special care should be taken when handling it.
3. All infected specimen and material should be handle with care
4. He or she should avoid smoking, and applying cosmetic in the laboratory working area.
5. Never pipette directly with mouth
6. Gummed label should not be leak neither pen nor pencil put into mouth on stuck in the hair.
7. Protective glove or plastic aprons should be worn while collecting sample for hepatitis, AIDS and other viral hemorrhagic fever for investigation.
8. Used needle should not cap back, in other to prevent needle prick, but should be discard into appropriate container immediately after use.
9. Make sure that glove is worn when handling specimen of culture that contain highly infectious pathogens
10. Process specimen or culture with high infectious pathogen in a safety cabinet.
11. Cover any cut, insect bite, open sore wound with a water proof adhesive dressing
12. Finger nail should be keep short
13. Disinfect all infected material before final disposal
14. Make available of disinfecting jar on the table before the commencement of the day works
15. The disinfectant must be charge everyday
16. In case of spillage, disinfectant solution should be poured to cover the spilled material and left for 15 minute before cleaning.
17. Infected glassware should be disinfected by soaking overnight in hypochlorite solution and cleaning thoroughly under running tap
18. At end of the working day, all working bench should be clean and disinfected before leaving the laboratory.
19. Before leaving the laboratory, for any activity make your hand is wash with soap and water thoroughly.