Occupational Safety and Health Act

§ Public Law 91-596

§ Was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1970
§ Main goal: provide all employees with a safe work environment

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration
§ Authorizedto conduct on-site inspections to determine whether an
employer is complying with the mandatory standards
§ OSHA standards that regulate safety in the laboratory include
the following:
§ Blood-borne Pathogen Standard
§ Formaldehyde Standard
§ Laboratory Standard
§ Hazard Communication Standard
§ Respiratory Standard
§ Air Contaminants Standard
§ Personal Protective Equipment Standard
Blood-borne Pathogen Standard
§ Applies to all exposure to blood or other potentially infectious
materials in any occupational setting
§ Universal precaution and PPE

§ Mandates the development of an exposure control plan

§ Decontamination and safe handling of specimen

§ Requirement for HBV vaccination

Hazard Communication Standard

§ Toxic and Hazardous Substances regulations

§ To ensure that the hazards of all chemicals used in the

workplace have been evaluated and that this hazard
information is successfully transmitted to employers and their
employees
§ Instituted by CDC (1987)
§ Allpatients are considered to be possible carriers of blood-borne
pathogens
§ Recommends wearing gloves when collecting or handling blood and body
fluids contaminated with blood
§ Wearing
face shields when there is danger of blood splashing on mucous
membranes
§ Disposing all needles and sharp objects in puncture-resistant containers
§ CDC excluded urine and body fluids not visibly
contaminated by blood from UP, although many specimens
can contain a considerable amount of blood before it
becomes visible
§ The modification of UP for body substance isolation (BSI)
helped to alleviate this concern
§ BSI guidelines are not limited to blood-borne pathogens; they
consider all body fluids and moist body substances to be
potentially infectious
§ Personnel should wear gloves at all times when encountering
moist body substances
§ A major disadvantage of BSI guidelines are that they do not
recommend handwashing following removal of gloves
unless visual contamination is present
§ Hand washing
§ Gloves
§ Mask, eye protection, and face shield
§ Gown
§ Patient care equipment
§ Environmental control
§ Linen
§ Occupational health and blood-borne pathogens
§ Patient placement
§ OSHA published the new Hazard Communication
Standard (Right to Know Law)
§ To comply with the regulation, clinical laboratories must:
§ Plan and implement a written hazard communication program
§ Obtain material safety data sheets (MSDS)
§ Educate all employees
§ Maintain hazard warning labels on containers received or filled on
site
§ Major source of safety information for employees who may use hazardous materials
1. Product name and identification
2. Hazardous ingredients
3. Permissible exposure limit (PEL)
4. Physical and chemical data
5. Health hazard data and carcinogenic potential
6. Primary routes of entry
7. Fire and explosion hazards
8. Reactivity data
9. Spill and disposal procedures
10. PPE recommendations
11. Handling
12. Emergency and first aid procedures
13. Storage and transportation precautions
14. Chemical manufacturer’s name, address, and telephone number
15. Special information section
OSHA Laboratory Standard
§ To address the shortcomings of the Hazard Communication Standard
§ Requires the appointment of a chemical hygiene officer and the
development of a chemical hygiene plan
§ CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN
§ Procedures describing how to protect employees against teratogens,
carcinogens, and other toxic chemicals must be described in the plan
§ Must detail engineering controls, PPE, safe work practices, and
administrative controls, including provisions for medical surveillance
and consultation, when necessary
§ Clean Water Act
§ Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
§ Toxic Substances Control Act
§ The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) provides
excellent general and infection control guidelines in their documents
§ The Joint Commission (TJC)
§ College of American Pathologists (CAP)
§ National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
§ Biodegradable waste – food wastes, yard wastes, etc. (green)
§ Non-biodegradable/Recyclable wastes – paper, plastic, styrofoam, tin
cans, bottles, etc. (red)
§ Non-recyclable/Residual wastes – used/worn out rugs, ceramics, soiled
plastics, candy wrappers, etc. (blue)
§ Special/Hazardous Wastes – used fluorescent lamps/bulbs, batteries,
spray canisters, etc. (black)
§ No smoking, eating, and application of cosmetics
§ Proper use of PPE
§ Shoes should be made of nonporous materials with closed toes and heels
§ Hand washing should be done between each patient even if gloves are
worn
§ Needles and other sharps should be discarded into puncture-resistant
and leak-proof containers
§ All laboratories are required to have
§ Safety showers
§ Eyewash stations
§ Fire extinguishers
§ Fire blankets, spill kits, and first aid supplies
Spills
§ Wear appropriate protective equipment.
§ Use mechanical devices to pick up broken glass or other sharp objects.
§ Absorb the spill with paper towels, gauze pads, or tissue.

§ Clean the spill site using a common aqueous detergent.

§ Disinfect the spill site using approved disinfectant or 10% bleach, using appropriate contact
time.
§ Rinse the spill site with water.
§ Dispose of all materials in appropriate biohazard containers.
Concentrated Acid/Base Spills
§ Should be diluted with water before cleanup is attempted
§ Cover the spill with neutralizer
§ Sodium bicarbonate- acids
§ Boric acid- bases

§ Absorb spill using an absorbent

§ Surface should be covered with soap and water
 § Flammable § Irritant

§ Explosive § Corrosive

§ Toxic/Poison § Environmental

NSF North Mississippi GK-8

Flammable/Combustible Chemicals
§ Flash point, which is the temperature at which sufficient vapor is
given off to form an ignitable mixture with air
§ Acetone, Benzene, Ethanol, Heptane, Isopropanol, Methanol, Toluene,
Xylene
§ Certain gases, such as hydrogen, and solids, such as paraffin
Categories of Chemicals
§ Corrosive - chemicals with a pH of <2 or > 12.5
§ Toxic Substances - poisons, irritants and asphyxiants
§ Carcinogens - capable of causing cancers
§ Mutagens and Teratogens - capable of causing chromosomal aberrations
and congenital malformations
§ Ignitable - flammable and combustible
§ Reactive - explosives and oxidizers
Corrosive Chemicals
§ Injurious to the skin or eyes by direct contact
§ Injurious
to the tissue of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts if
inhaled or ingested
§ Acids (acetic, sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric)
§ Bases (ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium
hydroxide)
OSHA Regulated Carcinogenic Chemicals
q Chloromethyl methyl ether- vinyl chloride
q N-Nitrosodimethylamine
q Benz[a] pyrene
q 4-Aminobiphenyl
q Benzidine
q 1-Naphthylamine
q 2-Naphthylamine
q 4-Nitrobiphenyl
q Benzene
q Ethylenimine
q P-Dimethylaminobenzene
q Β-Propiolactone
q Bis Chloromethyl ether
§ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license is required if the total amount of
radioactive material exceeds a certain level
§ Film badge or dosimeter must be worn when handling radioactive chemicals
§ Stored in an uncluttered area (properly ventilated)
§ Away from heat source
§ Should not be stored above eye levels
§ Inorganics should be stored separately from organics (EXCEPT NITRIC ACID)
§ Flammables should be stored in an approved flammable safety cabinet
§ Water reactive chemicals should be stored in a dry environment (no automatic
sprinkler system)
§ All
the elements essential for fire to begin are present—fuel, heat or
ignition source, and oxygen (air)
§ Class A: ordinary combustible solid materials, such as paper, wood,
plastic, and fabric
§ Class B: flammable liquids/gases and combustible petroleum products
§ Class C: energized electrical equipment
§ Class D: combustible/reactive metals, such as magnesium, sodium, and
potassium
§ Use only explosion-proof equipment in hazardous atmospheres
§ Be particularly careful when operating high-voltage equipment, such as electrophoresis
apparatus
§ Use only properly grounded equipment (three-pronged plug)
§ Check for frayed electrical cords

§ Promptly report any malfunctions or equipment

§ Do not work on “live” electrical equipment
§ Equipment should be checked annually for current leakage and ground integrity
1. Always follow the teacher’s directions and only do lab work when a
teacher is present.
2. Conduct yourself in a responsible manner at all times.
3. Do not touch any equipment, chemicals, or other materials until told to
do so.
4. Do not eat food, drink beverages, or chew gum in the lab. Do not use
lab glassware as food or beverage containers.
5. Report ALL accidents to your teacher immediately, even if you think it is
minor.
§ TRANSFER PIPETTES/PASTEUR PIPETTES
§ Used to transfer small quantities of liquid
§ Usually disposable
§ SEROLOGICAL PIPETTES
§ Plain, narrow tube which
extends to a tip and graduates
uniformly along its length
§ VOLUMETRIC PIPETTES
§ Offer very accurate volume
measurement of a solution
§ Presence of a large bulb with
a long narrow portion
§ AUTOMATIC PIPETTES/MICROPIPETTE
§ Used to measure small amounts of
liquids with a volume range between 1
and 1000uL
§ More precise and accurate
§ Using uncalibrated micropipettes
§ Using contaminated solution or contaminated tips
§ Aspirating too quickly
§ Pipetting an angle can cause volume variation
Kindly prepare for a quiz next meeting.

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