ANSWERS

1. State 4 laws relevant to health and safety in the practice laboratory.
   • The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).
   • The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (1988).
   • Controlled Waste Regulations (1992).
   • Reporting of Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1980.
2. List items of protective clothing worn in the laboratory.
   • Lab coat.
   • Gloves.
   • Mask.
   • Flat non-slip shoes.
3. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 dictates that every employer should make proper provision to establish safe systems of work. These must be in writing and displayed on a health and safety notice board at the relevant workstation. What are these systems of work commonly known as?
   Local Rules.
4. List 12 precautions necessary for safe laboratory work.
   • Wear the protective clothing provided (see Q2).
   • Long hair is to be tied back.
   • Only authorised personnel are admitted to the laboratory.
   • Staff must have received adequate training in the systems of work.
   • Smoking, eating and drinking are not permitted in the laboratory.
   • Practice good housekeeping and keep the laboratory clean and tidy at all times.
   • Always replace reagent caps, and keep samples in racks.
   • Clearly label all samples.
   • Ensure that spillages are dealt with immediately (see Q5).
   • Accidents are to be recorded.
   • Details of all tests performed are to be recorded.
   • The local rules must be obeyed.
5. Explain how the following would be dealt with: broken glass, spilt corrosives, spilt poisons and toxic fumes.
   • In all cases, protective clothing must be put on and other members of staff alerted to the accident.
   • Always enlist assistance if required.
   • Broken glass = Chemically contaminated glass is disposed of in a green DOOP container. Small fragments or shards of clean glass are best disposed of in a sharps container, while large pieces should be carefully wrapped in newspaper and then sealed in a strong cardboard box - labelled "Care - Glass". This may be collected with the regular waste. Remember that any glass from cytotoxic preparations must be placed in a special cytotoxic waste container with caution.
   • Spilt corrosives = A spillage kit should be available containing absorbent material to soak up the waste. Small quantities may be wrapped, sealed and disposed of in a DOOP container. Larger amounts should be collected specially by an authorised carrier. The fire brigade should be called in an emergency.
   • Poisons = As for spillages. Particular care should be taken if a staff member is pregnant.
   • Toxic fumes = In the case of a gas leak, the premises should be evacuated and the gas supplier alerted immediately. Personnel may deal with an incident such as a broken bottle of volatile anaesthetic agent. Ensure adequate ventilation and remove glass. Contaminated material should be placed safely outside. Anaesthetic gases pose a great risk to pregnant women. Any accident must be reported to a senior member of staff and the details recorded.
6. List the potential hazards of laboratory work.
   • Fire.
   • Electric shock.
   • Inhalation of toxic fumes.
   • Contact with poisons and corrosive substances.
   • The transmission of zoonotic diseases from specimens (particularly bacteria).
7. Contaminated culture plates pose a risk to personnel, and therefore require a special method of disposal; describe this.
   • Culture plates must be placed inside autoclave bags, sealed and sterilised. This ensures the destruction of live bacteria and prevents the transmission of bacterial infection to personnel. Once autoclaved, the bags may be disposed of in yellow clinical waste sacks with a biohazard seal for incineration.
8. Describe techniques employed to ensure that samples sent by post do not represent a risk to Royal Mail employees.
   • Highly infectious material must not be posted.
   • Only first class letter post or Data post may be used to dispatch samples.
   • The sample must be enclosed in a securely sealed primary container.
   • The volume of the container must not exceed 50mls.
   • The sample must be packed with sufficient absorbent material.
   • The primary container and absorbent material must be placed inside a sealed leak-proof plastic bag, which is placed inside a durable container and a padded bag.
   • The package must be clearly labelled with the following: "PATHOLOGICAL SPECIMEN - FRAGILE. WITH CARE", and clearly show the name and address of the sender.