(BACTE LAB): Safety in the Clinical Laboratory

Biological Hazard

the health care setting provides abundant sources of potentially harmful organisms

these microorganisms are frequently present in the specimen received in the clinical laboratory

Viruses, Fungi, Bacteria and Parasites

4 types of biological hazards

Chain of infection

pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host

Susceptible Host

elderly, infants, immunocompromised, ANYONE

Pathogen

bacteria, virus, fungi, parasites

Reservoir

people, animals, soil, food, water

Portal of Exit

coughing, sneezing, feces

Mode of Transmission

direct contact, indirect contact, vectors

Portal of Entry

mouth, nose, eyes, cuts in skin

Universal Precautions (UP)

all patients are considered to be possible carriers of blood-borne pathogens

Body Substance Isolation (BSI)

guidelines not limited to blood-borne pathogens; they consider all body fluids and moist body fluids to be infectious

Standard Precautions

in 1996, the CDC combined the major features of UP and BSI guidelines and called the new guidelines called

Standard Precautions

handwashing

gloves

mask, eye protection and face shield

gown

environmental control

occupational health and blood-borne pathogens

Decontamination and Waste Management

all waste leaving the laboratory must be treated so that it is thoroughly decontaminated and presents no infectious threat. methods for disinfection and decontamination of material leaving the laboratory must be validated each time they are used to verify their effectiveness

1:10 Sodium hypochlorite/10% bleach solution

decontamination solution

Occuplational Health

the employing authority, through the laboratory director, must take responsibility for ensuring that the health of laboraroty personnel is adequately checked and reported

the objective is to provide a safe working environment including preventative measures (for example, vaccination) and monitoring of employee health to enable appropriate measures to be taken in case of exposure or occupationally related disease or any other aspect of the work that affects the safety, health and well-being of employees

Black

color coding scheme for non infectious dry waste

Green

color coding scheme for non infectious wet waste

Yellow

color coding scheme for infectious and pathological waste

Yellow with black band

color coding scheme for chemical and heavy metal wastes

Orange

color coding scheme for radioactive waste

Red

color coding scheme for sharps and pressured containers

Hand contact

number one method of infection transmission

Handwashing

the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections

Gloves

must be worn when processing blood or body fluid specimen, when handling contaminated materials and during cleaning and decontamination procedures

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

equipment and/or clothing worn by personnel to provide a barrier against biological agents, thereby minimizing the likelihood of exposure