1. Safety Concerns & OSHA Standards
Ms. Nelson, LVT
Required Reading: Chapter 1 – Laboratory Procedures for Veterinary Technicians, seventh Edition

2. Key terms you will be expected to know:
Biohazard
Bloodborne Pathogen
Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)
Engineering Controls
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Zoonoses
Biohazard: substances that pose a threat to humans/animals (examples: virus/toxins)
Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood and can cause disease
Chemical Hygiene Plan : written program that helps prevent people from hazardous chemicals
Engineering Controls: eliminate or reduce exposure to a chemical/hazard (example: using a fume hood when handling chemicals)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product
Zoonoses: body fluids, feces, skin scrapings

3. After this chapter you will be expected to know the following
Explain the requirements of a chemical hygiene plan
Identify mechanisms for minimizing exposure to hazards in the veterinary laboratory
Describe general concerns related to designing a laboratory
Identify, use and care for PPE
Discuss criteria for evaluating Internet resources

4. How to ensure laboratory safety:
Everyone working in the lab should be aware of procedures and precautions for use and maintenance of equipment.
There should be adequate safety equipment and supplies and EVERYONE should be advised to their location, how they work, and the indications for their use.
Laboratory safety policies MUST be in writing and placed in an accessible location within the clinical laboratory area.
Signs should be posted to notify employees that eating, drinking, applying cosmetics and adjusting contact lenses within the lab is prohibited.

5. Safety equipment and supplies
Fire extinguishers
Spill cleanup kits
Hazardous and biohazard waste disposal containers
Protective gloves
Eyewash station
ALL EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE LOCATION OF THESE ITEMS AND AWARE OF THEIR LOCATIONS
Biohazardous waste is also known as infectious waste. Examples include human and animal blood, tissues, and certain body fluids, and human, animal or plant pathogens
Hazardous: dangerous but not infectious, Examples include chemicals
Container labeling: when chemicals are placed in a different container it must be labeled.

6. Occupational safety and health administration (osha)
OSHA mandates specific laboratory practices that must be incorporated into the laboratory safety policy.
The regulations are focused on protecting the health and safety of employees.
OSHA is responsible for determining and enforcing protective standards

7. Employer responsibilities
Comply with all relevant OSHA standards
Correct any safety and health hazards in the workplace
Educate employees about any potential workplace hazards
Provide training to employees regarding chemical and other health and safety hazards
Provide required personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees
Maintain accurate records of work related injuries and illnesses
Post specific OSHA posters, citations and injury illness data
They have training programs where they have documentation that the employee understands how to use the PPE

8. OSHA Quick cards

9. Controlling potential hazards
Can be categorized into four types
1. Engineering controls
2. Administrative controls
Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)
3. Procedural controls
4. PPE
Engineering Controls: eliminate or reduce exposure to a chemical/hazard (example: using a fume hood when handling chemicals)
Administration controls: creation of specific protocols to minimize worker exposure to hazards.
Chemical Hygiene Plan: written program that helps prevent people from hazardous chemicals
Procedure controls: involve the development of policies that modify worker behavior. Example: include restriction from mouth pipetting and using less dangerous substances when feasible.

10. Chemical hygiene officers
OSHA requires that one individual in the laboratory facility is responsible for implementing the required Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP).
This person is termed the CHO (Chemical Hygiene Officer)
Chemical Hygiene Plan : written program that helps prevent people from hazardous chemicals

11. Safety Data sheets (SDS)
Must be accessible to ALL employees
Worker training programs regarding the use of PPE when dealing with hazardous chemicals
Labels must be placed on containers of hazardous chemicals
Workplace Safety Program (DOVE) 3 mins
Workplace Safety Committee (DOVE) 3 mins

12. sds continued. Minimum information required by osha
Manufacturer name and contact information
Hazardous ingredients/identity information
Physical/chemical characteristics
Fire and explosion hazard data
Reactivity data
Health hazard data
Precautions for safe handling and use
Control measures
Contact info for every manufacture- so if anything spills/gets in their eyes
Reactivity data: if there's any reactions with other chemicals (ammonia and bleach…big no…makes gas…can’t breathe)
Control measures: controlling lab itself
BOX 1.1

13. Other potentially infectious materials
Human bloodborne pathogens
Zoonoses: diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood and can cause disease
In-House Disposal of Leptospirosis Urine (DOVE)

14. Personal Protective Equipment (ppe)

15. Biosafety hazard considerations
There are four levels of Biosafety
I – agents that do not ordinarily cause disease in humans
II – Potential to cause disease in humans if handled incorrectly
III – Substances that can cause serious and potentially lethal diseases
IV – Agents in this category pose a high risk of causing life-threatening diseases (shower in/out procedures, full body suits, and positive air supply required)
Level 1: dawn soap/Vaccines administered to animals/cleaning agents/species specific disease (canine hepatitis)
Make note people with an immune deficiency may have a reaction
Level 2: Rubbing alcohol: doesn’t cause disease, just reaction/poor in eye (example anything that can be absorbed through mm), usually low Aerosolized exposure
Level 3:Cleaning solution: not diluting, could get sick from fumes/ Mycobacterium tuberculosis: disease that effects the lungs (high aerosolized exposure)
Level 4: chemo drugs/ Ebola: A virus that causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and can lead to death

16. Laboratory design
Located in an area separate from other hospital operations
Well lit
Large enough to accommodate equipment
Sufficient countertop space
Consistent room temperature
Draft free
Drafts carry dust, which could contaminate or interfere with test results

17. Every laboratory should have the following components
Sink
Storage space
Electrical supply
Internet access
Sink: a place where we can rinse, drain, or discard fluids
Storage: to avoid clutter/refrigerator/freezer should be readily available as well
Internet: they need it to send critical results/can even send photos of samples if needed

19. Safety Evacuation Plan (DOVE) 4 mins
(OSHA video)