pmls

Primary objective of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

To identify and control workplace hazards by adapting the work environment to workers and workers to their jobs.

Entity legally required to implement OHS policies in the workplace

Employers.

Three fundamental safety principles for all laboratory personnel

1. Know the hazards.
2. Know the basic precautions.
3. Apply common sense.

Most common physical injury hazard encountered in clinical laboratories

Sharps hazards (e.g., needles, lancets, and broken glass).

Standard disposal criteria for sharps containers

Puncture-resistant, leakproof containers that must be replaced when reaching the designated safe capacity mark (never overfilled).

First step to take when a coworker is receiving an electrical shock

Remove the electrical source immediately (turn off the circuit breaker or unplug the equipment) before touching or assisting the person.

Action steps represented by the fire safety acronym RACE

Rescue persons in immediate danger, Alarm/alert authorities, Confine the fire by closing doors, and Extinguish or Evacuate.

Laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs)

Infections contracted by personnel as a direct result of their occupational laboratory activities.

Primary exposure routes for infectious agents in the laboratory

Inoculation (percutaneous/sharps injury), ingestion, inhalation of aerosols, and contamination of skin or mucous membranes.

Coliform bacterium that is gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic, and causes intestinal infections or UTIs

Escherichia coli

Pathogenic protozoan found in stool specimens causing Beaver Fever

Giardia lamblia (causes giardiasis).

Major viral etiology of severe dehydrating watery diarrhea in infants and young children

Rotavirus.

Causative agent of streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat)

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus).

Non-contagious bacterial infection of the dermis and subcutaneous tissue

Cellulitis (commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species).

Etiologic viral agent commonly responsible for epidemic conjunctivitis and infantile gastroenteritis (types 40 and 41)

Adenovirus.

Hepatitis viruses transmitted predominantly through the fecal-oral route

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Hepatitis E virus (HEV).

Hepatitis form known as a "silent infection" because symptoms are frequently delayed

Hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Defective virus that requires Hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection to replicate

Hepatitis D virus (HDV, or Delta virus).

Target host cell of HIV and the definition of AIDS

Attacks $\text{CD4}^+$ T cells; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most advanced clinical stage of HIV infection.

Primary mosquito vector responsible for transmitting Dengue virus (Breakbone Fever)

Aedes aegypti

Causative organism and transmission route of Tuberculosis

Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis; spreads via inhalation of infectious airborne droplet nuclei released during coughing, sneezing, or speaking.

Etiologic parasite and insect vector for Malaria

Caused by Plasmodium species; transmitted through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.

Four viral families capable of causing Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF)

Arenaviridae, Filoviridae, Bunyaviridae, and Flaviviridae.

Four levels of the decontamination hierarchy (S-D-A-C)

1. Sterilization
2. Disinfection
3. Antisepsis
4. Cleaning

Sterilization

The validated process that destroys or completely eliminates all viable forms of microbial life, including bacterial endospores.

Disinfection

A process that eliminates nearly all recognized pathogenic vegetative microorganisms on inanimate surfaces, but not necessarily bacterial spores.

Antisepsis

The topical application of an antimicrobial chemical to living tissue or skin to prevent or arrest infection.

Biofilm

A microbial community tenaciously attached to a substrate and encased within a self-produced protective extracellular matrix.

Contact time vs. Dwell time

Contact time is the duration a disinfectant chemical must remain wet on a surface; Dwell time is the period an autoclave holds a load at the designated sterilization temperature.

Standard autoclave operating parameters for saturated steam under pressure

$121^\circ\text{C}$ at $15\,\text{psi}$ for $1\,\text{hour}$ (or $60\,\text{minutes per gallon}$ of liquid).

Materials strictly prohibited from being autoclaved

Corrosive chemicals, volatile organic compounds, toxic materials, and radioactive substances.

Action steps represented by the SPILL emergency acronym

Stop, Presume you are contaminated, Inform others, Localize the spill, Label the area.

Three operational zones in hazardous spill response

1. Hot zone: Exclusion area containing the active contamination/hazard.
2. Warm zone: Contamination reduction corridor where personnel decontaminate.
3. Cold zone: Clean support perimeter for command, communications, and triage.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

A systematic diagnostic methodology used following a laboratory accident to identify the core underlying failure and establish corrective measures against recurrence.

CWA 15793

The European Committee for Standardization workshop agreement outlining international standards for Laboratory Biorisk Management.

Infectious waste vs. Pathological waste

Infectious waste contains cultures or items saturated with infectious blood/body fluids; Pathological waste includes recognizable human tissues, organs, body parts, and animal carcasses.

Point of waste segregation in laboratory workflows

Strictly at the point of generation.

Rule for handling mixed waste resulting from incorrect segregation

The entire mixed batch must be classified, managed, and treated as hazardous waste.

Philippine healthcare waste color coding: Yellow

Infectious and pathological waste.

Philippine healthcare waste color coding: Red

Sharps and pressurized containers.

Philippine healthcare waste color coding: Yellow with a black band

Chemical waste, including heavy metals.

Philippine healthcare waste color coding: Orange

Radioactive waste (segregated by physical form and radioactive half-life).

Philippine healthcare waste color coding: Black vs. Green

Black is for non-infectious dry waste; Green is for non-infectious wet (biodegradable/organic) waste.

Republic Act 6969 (RA 6969)

Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.

Republic Act 9003 (RA 9003)

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

DOH-DENR Joint Administrative Order No. 02, s. 2005

The joint manual establishing national policies on Health Care Waste Management.