Laboratories, particularly now-a-days, are so busy with staff already stressed and most times in large demand that attention to safety is often a topic that takes a backseat. Not only is it not made a priority to educate staff on safety, but employees are often challenged and feel pressured to get the work done that they take short-cuts which compromise their personal safety in the workplace. This is not a good state with all the potential safety risks that can be encountered in the laboratory. It is important to educate our laboratory staff on safety, and it is just as important to hold them accountable to following the established guidelines.
This presentation is part two of a two-part series in laboratory safety and will focus on blood borne pathogen safety, infection control and several general safety topics. The blood borne pathogen safety section will include a review of the definition of universal precautions. We will discuss processes that should be in place to facilitate staff safety when handling blood and body fluids. Risk mitigation steps will be demonstrated in order to give the audience ideas for monitoring the environment and compliance with policies. We will additionally talk about infection control, reviewing some of the risks that laboratory personnel are exposed to with their career choice of laboratory medicine. This will segway the discussion to personal protective equipment, hand hygiene and other actions staff can take to ensure their safety. Finally, we will go through several main categories of general laboratory safety expectations as they relate to all areas of the lab.