Hazardous Procedure in the Lab

Hazardous Procedure in the Lab

	Hazardous Procedures in the Lab Care should be taken while utiIising the procedures given below: Syringe and needle 'Needle stick' injury is common during use or disassembly. Aerosol may be liberated from a vibrating needle on withdrawal from a vein or a culture. Splashing or spraying may be caused by the forceful ejection of contents. Skin, clothing or bench may be contaminated by leakage from syringe.
Pipetting Infective material may be ingested during mouth pipetting. Careless handling of the pipette may result in aerosol formation while transferring inoculum (when the broth is dropped into the tubes). Inoculating loop Vibration of an inoculation loop especially if longer than 4 cm can cause splashing and aerosol production. Flaming of a wet loop or cooling a hot loop in an agar plate, mixing a slide agglutination test or spreading a film may also produce aerosol.
Petridishes Water of condensation on the agar or in the lid may become contaminated and spill onto fingers and bench. Shaking/mixing Shaking produces an aerosol even in a closed container and the aerosol may be released on opening the container. Centrifugation Vibration can generate aerosol within the container used for centrifugation. Careless loading or unloading, breaking during centrifugation or premature opening after breakage can lead to dissemination of culture fluids.
Freeze drying Opening of sealed ampoules is hazardous if done in the open occupied room. It should be done only inside the safety cabinet since it can generate aerosols. Stoppering tubes As previously discussed, opening tightly sealed cork stoppers, screw capped tubes or even cotton wool plugs can cause splashing, leading to aerosol formation. Microbiological safety cabinets Unless properly installed, these cabinets can release infection into the air of the room or exhaust duct.
	Animal procedures Working with animals like during inoculation, collection of samples or performing necropsy (autopsy) can account for lot of injury. Bedding contamination with excreta or urine can liberate infected dust. Transport of specimen Improperly closed and packaged samples may leak onto the wrapping and contaminate the surroundings.

Outside of the container may get contaminated during specimen collection.

Disposal of cultures
Contamination may occur during decontamination of discarded cultures, specimen containers and used equipments (scalpels, needles).
Laboratory associated infections are quite serious and there is considerable rate of mortality. Safety in the lab is the responsibility of all those working in it.

Microbes and Atmosphere Part-2
Potential Hazards in Laboratory Techniques
Hazardous Procedures in the Lab
Airborne Diseases
Modes of Transmission
Direct Droplet
Direct Airborne
Indirect Airborne
Bacterial Diseases of the Upper Respiratory System
Viral Diseases of the Upper Respiratory System
Bacterial Diseases of the Lower Respiratory Tract
Viral Diseases of the Lower Respiratory Tract
Air Sanitation
Ventilation
Safety Cabinets
Disinfectant Sprays and Vapours

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