Biosafety in clinical laboratory

Biosafety involves safe handling and disposal of hazardous biological materials in the laboratory

This material consist of infectious agent themselves as well as often actually or potentially contaminated with them. A large numbers of laboratory workers handling such material as part of their daily routines. This workers should be aware of the risk of infection while handling the specimen and must know appropriate laboratory practice to avoid this risk.

In 1984 the centre for disease control (CDC) and the national institute of health (NHI) issues guidelines for use in working with infectious agent in the laboratory. It has been recommended that all specimen from all patients should be considered potentially infectious. The approach is referred to as universal precautions and eliminates the need to identify the patient infection, infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or other blood borne pathogens.

Infectious agents such as HIV has been isolated from blood, semen, saliva, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, tears, breast milk, cervical secretion and tissues of infected person. A laboratory worker should consider skin especially when scratched port aberration or organism are present and mucous membranes of the eye, nose, mouth, and respiratory tract as potential partner for entrance of infectious agent. Needles and other sharp instruments must be carefully handled and properly discarded. Spilling and splashes of infected material should be avoided.

Summary of the universal precaution for laboratories by CDC

  1. universal precaution should apply to blood and all body fluids containing visible blood semen vaginal secretion tissues cerebrospinal fluid pleural fluid peritoneal fluid pericardial fluid synovial fluid and amniotic fluid.

  2. laboratory worker should use protective barrier appropriate for the laboratory procedure and the types and extent of exposure expected. All person processing blood should wear gloves and laboratory coat and this should be removed before leaving the laboratory. Biological safety barrier should be used wherever necessary.

  3. hand should be wash immediately when contaminated with blood or other body fluid after removing gloves and after completing laboratory activity.

  4. use of needles and syringes will be minimised. They shold be used in situation in which there is no alternative. If you need you should not be wrapped or banned or broken by hand. After use needles and other sharp instruments should be placed in a sharp safe resistant container for disposal.

  5. specimen of blood should be placed in strong leak-proof container during transport.

  6. mouth pipetting must not be performed in the laboratory. Mechanical pipette device should be used.

  7. contaminated material used in the laboratory should be decontaminated appropriately before reprocessing or disposal.

  8. laboratory work surface should be clean and the decontaminated with appropriate disinfectant after a blood or body fluid spill and at the end of the day works.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*