risk management

risk management

A process of ensuring and maintaining personal as well as environmental

health and safety in the laboratory

Before, during, and after an activity

When is risk management performed

biosafety officer

Everyone has a role because accidents can happen anytime to anyone,

however, the — is mainly involved in constructing the plant

Risk Management Process

risk management is conducted through

gather information

step 1 of risk management process

chemical hazard

Depends on the proper storage, proper use, and handling of the medical technologist

plastic apron

is the best for chemical hazard

physical

• In histopath, it is more on the physical facility

• Placement of equipment/machines

• Storages boxes

biological

• Anything that can cause disease

• In histopath, it is the surgical specimens and fluids for cytology

sharps

• Needle stick and potential infection from exposure

• In histopath, more on blades which can cause wound injury and potential exposure to pathogen if blade is infected

Hazardous chemicals

Accidental splash to the face and chemical burn

evaluate the risk

step 2 of risk management process

characterize the risk

Know likelihood of risk

biological agent factors

• Stability in the environments

• Potential routes of transmission

• Endemicity of biological agent in the local environment and population and host range

• Life stage/form of the biological agent

• Communicability

Physical infrastructure and existing controls

• Type of facility

• Presence of engineering/safety controls

• Type of equipment used

• Function/reliability of ventilation systems

procedural

the existence of administrative controls

human factors

• Competence of personnel, level of training

• Behavioral aspects

Adhesion

Invasiveness

Toxigenesis

Production of exoenzymes

Antigenic variation

Resistance to antibiotics

Tissue tropism with multiple replication sites within host

Ability to elicit autoantibodies against host

virulence factors:

Administrative controls

Availability of vaccines, prophylaxis, therapeutic interventions and emergency response procedures

host factors

Health and immune status of staff: immunocompetent or immunocompromised, pregnancy, pre-existing medical conditions, allergies, age, large susceptible population

Prioritize risk and determine if risks are acceptable

Choose hazard that has significant impact or have severe consequence

develop a risk control strategy

step 3 in risk management process

Engineering controls

BSCs, fume hoods, negative and positive air pressure; in histopath, we have grossing table

administrative controls

SOP (change the way people work)

select and implement risk control measures

step 4 in risk management process

• Goal is to reduce risks to acceptable level

review risk and control measures

step 5 in risk management process

Permissible Exposure Limits

PEL meaning

Threshold Limit Value

TLV meaning

Occupational Exposure Limits

OEL meaning

Time-Weighted Average or Time-Weighted Average Exposure Value

TWA or TWAEV meaning

Short-term Exposure Limit/Value

STEL or STEV meaning

Ceiling Limit or Ceiling Exposure Value

CL or CEV

pel, tlv, oel

Maximum allowable airborne concentration of a chemical (vapor, fume or dust) to which a worker may be exposed

twa/twaev

Employee’s average exposure over an 8-hour shift

stel or stev

Highest permissible time-weighted average exposure for any 15-minute period during the work shift

cl or cev

Maximum permissible instantaneous exposure during any part of the work shift

irritants

• Cause reversible inflammatory effects at the site of contact with living tissue, especially the skin, eyes, and respiratory passages

• Isopropanol, methanol, hydrochloric acid, iodine

corrosive

• Cause destruction or irreversible alterations when exposed to living tissue or destroy certain inanimate surfaces (generally metal)

• Nitric acid

Sensitizers

• Substances that induce tumors, not only in experimental animals but also in humans

• Chloroform, chromic acid, formaldehyde, nickel chloride and potassium dichromate

• Auramine, basic fuchsin, and any dye derived from benzidine

• The problem is with prolonged/ accumulated exposure

Toxic materials

• Capable of causing death by ingestion, skin contact or inhalation at certain specific concentrations

• Chloroform, methanol, chromic acid, osmium tetroxide, and uranyl nitrate

• Some are only irritants when exposed to skin but toxic when ingested

combustible

• A type of physical hazard

• Have flashpoints at or above a specified temperature

flashpoint

temperature at which vapors will ignite in the presence of an ignition source under carefully defined conditions using specified test equipment

flammable

• Have flashpoints below the temperature specified above

• Require specially designed storage rooms, cabinets and containers, to control and prevent vapors from building up around electrical devices that spark

• Acetone, isopropanol

explosives

Substances causing explosion

• Picric acid

• Aging, shaking, when combined with other chemicals

oxidizers

Promote combustion

Get the victim to the Emergency Room

first aid for Ingestion of hazardous chemicals

Rinse the affected eye for 15-30 minutes (eyewash station)

first aid for Splashing of dangerous chemicals into eyes

Skin Contact with hazardous chemicals

first aid for

equipment

• Present risks from electrical and mechanical factors

• Minimized by proper installation, care, personnel training and preventive maintenance

electric shock

• Arises from improperly grounded devices

• Improper use of extension cord

electrical equipment

• Risk of igniting flammable vapors

• Refrigerators and freezers must never be used to store highly flammable chemicals such as ether and isopentane

mechanical dangers

• Burns from hot surface

• Open flame must never be used

• Broken glass particles and microtome blades

ergonomics

• Awkward postures

• Contact stress

• Duration

• Repetition

• Static postures

acetic acid

• Irritant to respiratory system

• Avoid skin, eye, and respiratory contact

• Use of chemical fume hood, gloves, goggles, plastic apron

• Always add acid to water

acetone

• Highly flammable, can be narcotic in high concentration

• Dizziness, headache, and irritation

• Use neoprene gloves

Aliphatic hydrocarbon clearing agents

• Low toxicity

• Combustible or flammable

• Neoprene or nitrile gloves

Ammonium hydroxide

• Severe irritant to eyes, skin, and respiratory tract

• Store away from acids

• DO NOT mix with formaldehyde as this generates heat and toxic vapor

• Spill of 500 ml may warrant evacuation

ethanol

Irritant

Use nitrile gloves

formaldehyde

• Severe eye and skin irritant

• Toxic by ingestion or inhalation

• Corrosive to metals

• Nitrile gloves, apron, goggles, respirator

• Drain disposal of limited quantities

nitric acid

• Corrosive to skin and metals

• Toxic by inhalation

• Explosive mixtures may be formed with Hydrogen peroxide

picric acid

Explosive when dry or when complexed with metal and metallic salts

xylene

• and eye irritant

• Repeated exposure produces neurotoxic effects