Laboratories are a unique workplace of of scientific inquiry and diagnoses, but they also pose specific risks to those who work within their confines. One significant concern is the potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens, which can lead to serious infections and health complications if not managed properly. To mitigate these risks, laboratories must adhere to strict regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding bloodborne pathogen exposure control plans. OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) outlines the measures that laborato ..read more

Ergonomics is a safety topic that gets little respect in the laboratory, but it can become very important over time. The effects of poor ergonomics are cumulative, and they can appear suddenly. When they arise, the pain and treatment are often difficult, and as people age, healing is slower as well. Because the consequences of repetitive motion injuries are slow to appear, it can be a challenge to raise concerns and create solutions regarding ergonomics in the laboratory. Education and action today can prevent a great deal of future injuries and staff shortages. There are several areas in the ..read more

When it comes to making a decision about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the laboratory, OSHA is pretty clear about how to go about making the selection. The use of risk assessments and task assessments is required by OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard, and these can be essential tools in making decisions regarding safety throughout the laboratory. The decision-making tools and processes can be applied to the patient collection area as well. You might think selecting PPE for phlebotomists would be straightforward, but in some cases, it is not. Deciding on gloves for phlebotomists is e ..read more

I have been a fan of Godzilla movies since my childhood, and the latest release (number 37 in the franchise for those keeping track) was not a disappointment. Godzilla Minus One is a Toho Studios production set in post-World War 2 Japan, a time when the country felt it was at level zero, its lowest point in history. The emergence of a destructive monster makes things even worse, generating the “minus one” designation. Sometimes you can feel the “minus one” with laboratory safety. Maybe you work long and hard on a complicated safety project, but an incident creates a major setback. You are prou ..read more

I recently completed a seven-month stint as an interim laboratory manager. One of my leaders asked me if the time in that role had altered my perspective about lab safety. Would I now treat other lab managers differently when I’m back to my Lab Safety Officer role? Would I be less strict about safety violations I notice? Would I be “nicer” to other lab managers when I audit now that I understand their plight better? Ok, to be fair, he only asked me the first question – the rest I made up in my head. But it was a good conversation because I had been a manager for eleven years in the past, but i ..read more

Margie had worked in the histology department for years. She never used the chemical fume hood when pouring formaldehyde, but lately she had been coughing quite a bit, so she decided it was time to use the hoods. Soon she would be diagnosed with lung cancer. Jasper was a cytotechnologist working in the radiology department for a fine needle aspirate procedure. The radiologist was in a hurry, and when he handed the uncapped sample needle to Jasper, the needle pierced the skin in Jasper’s hand. The patient had Hepatitis C. Marie had finished her long day of assisting with frozen sections and had ..read more

Living in Virginia, hurricane season usually has me thinking about lab disaster plans and the risk of a real natural disaster. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the highest hurricane risk occurs between September and November. So far this year, a few storms have pointed in this direction, but luckily, they have all turned away. That luck won’t hold forever, the risk still exists. OSHA’s Bloodborne and Airborne pathogens standards require assessing the risk of employees’ exposure to particular lab hazards. Risk assessments can be used to determine whether or not to add an emergen ..read more

The lab technologist approached the Lab Safety Officer to ask what should be done with a collection of liquid wastes that were collected from the chemistry analyzers. The LSO had worked with multiple labs for years helping to determine how to dispose of their liquid chemical wastes according to the regulations. He thought he was pretty well aware of the hazardous chemical wastes coming from the labs, but he had no idea this chemistry analyzer waste existed. He dug a bit deeper. As he called around to the different labs in the system, he learned not all sites were handling the waste the same wa ..read more

A multitude of employee injuries over a six-month period did nothing to get the attention of the laboratory leadership. The Employee Health nurse was nearing retirement, and she didn’t pay attention to the fact that these injuries all came from the same area- the autopsy suite- and that many had a common cause. The pathologist knew that the employees were getting hurt because of bad conditions in the morgue area. The autopsy table was old and had rusted sharp edges that frequently caused cuts on the hands of those handling it. The body storage refrigerator was small, and staff members from the ..read more

Pete began his shift in the hematology department. He liked to use the counter-mounted safety shield when opening specimens because he did not like to wear goggles over his eyeglasses. When it was time to read differential slides, he knew he could not look into the microscope with his glasses on, so he reached up with his gloved hands, grabbed his frames and set them on the dirty hematology workbench next to the scope. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard was promulgated (put into effect as law) in 1991. Its purpose was to prevent employee exposures to infectious organisms that may be present ..read more