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Jun 21, 2024 · protection of laboratory operations against biosecurity threats. Both documents aim to enhance the biological risk management and prevent biosafety and biosecurity incidents. To develop the Laboratory biosecurity guidance, the WHO engaged international experts to address biosecurity needs at the laboratory, institutional, and national levels.
- 1.0 Introduction
- 2.0 Responsibilities
- 2.1 Principal Investigators
- 2.2 Researchers
- 2.3 Technical Support / Experimental Officers / Facilities Management
- 2.4 Visitors, contractors and non-laboratory personnel
- 3.0 General Laboratory Safety
- 3.1 Before entering the laboratory
- 3.2.1 Good Laboratory Practice- Principles
- 3.2.2 Use of Fume Cupboards
- 3.2.3 Use of Microbiological Safety Cabinets (MSC’s)
- 3.3 Before leaving the laboratory
- 3.4 Other laboratory hazards
- 3.4.1 Glassware
- 3.4.2 Heating devices
- 3.4.3 Vacuum systems
- 3.4.5 Gases - Compressed gas cylinders
- 3.4.6 Gases – Cryogenic Liquids
- 3.4.7 Other laboratory equipment
- 4.0 Risk Assessment
- 5.1 Why controlling potentially hazardous materials matters
- 5.2 What are substances hazardous to health?
- 5.3.1 Step 1: Assess the Risks
- 5.3.2 Step 2: Precautions
- 5.3.3 Step 3: Prevent or adequately control exposure
- 5.3.4 Step 4: Ensure that control measures are used and maintained
- 5.3.6 Step 6: Ensure individuals are properly informed, trained and supervised
- 5.3.8 Step 8. Health Surveillance
- 5.4 Common misconceptions of COSHH
- 5.6 Biological and GM Risk Assessment
- 6.0 Hazardous substances - storage, labelling & information
- 6.1 General Storage Guidelines
- 6.2 Chemical Storage
- 6.3 Flammable liquid storage cabinets
- 6.4 Handling and Transport
- 7.0 First Aid & Emergency Procedures
- 7.1.1 - Wounds
- 7.1.2 – Thermal Burns
- 7.2 Emergency Procedures
- 7.2.2 Chemical
- 7.2.2.1 Solvents
- 7.2.2.2 Other liquid spills
- 7.2.2.3 Dry Spills
- 7.2.4 Fire
- 7.2.5 Loss of Power or other utilities
- 7.2.6 Lone Working
The laboratory is a complex environment so good laboratory practice is essential if laboratories are to be safe places in which to work. This simple guide is intended to provide you with some basic information on what good practice requires when working in a laboratory. It is not intended to replace or be a substitute for other training and superv...
Everyone has responsibility to themselves and others to know and understand what they are doing to assess risks, to use suitable control measures – to gain competence which supports their activities and roles. The H&S Executive definition of a competent person is “A competent person is someone who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge...
Accountable for assessing and addressing risks associated with their research. This includes the introduction of new chemicals, equipment and people to the workspace. They need to ensure that those working for them are competent for the research work they carry out by ensuring they receive sufficient information, adequate instruction, training and...
Researchers need to work safely and comply with relevant legislation and follow controls outlined in the relevant risk assessments, University, departmental and lab rules, this includes the purchasing or introduction of chemicals. The must ensure suitable risk assessments are developed to control significant risk and must read and understand other ...
Are not responsible for research activity. Their role is to ensure that the facilities and equipment are fully operational and to monitor that equipment is only used by competent staff and students. They will organise repairs when necessary.
The university operates a ‘permit’ system to grant access to visitors and contractors. The PI or their nominated person is responsible for ensuring that only authorised persons gain access to their research areas. The visitor / contractor must abide by the local rules.
There are many categories of hazards that might be encountered in a laboratory setting, and situations can change frequently. Even after you have identified and controlled all current risks, it is vital that you remain open to the possibility that new unexpected dangers can arise. Ensure your assessment covers chemicals (chemicals being used and ch...
Familiarise yourself with the local rules. These will normally be in the form of a notice board at the entrance to or at designated points within the lab which indicates the basic minimum requirements. This can include details of PPE requirements, specific access requirements e.g. no pace makers etc. Ensure you follow these rules at all times. The ...
Follow Departmental and local Laboratory Rules at all times. Use protective equipment as directed and remove before leaving the laboratory Wear your fastened lab coat when your risk assessment requires it (required in all labs handling chemicals & biologicals) Where directed by the Safety Data Sheet and/or directed by your risk assessment, wear app...
All chemical reactions assessed as posing a risk to the users and others in the space must be carried out in a fume cupboard Keep the interior tidy. Do Not block the rear air vents Keep reactions / work and chemicals at least 15 cm inside the front of the cupboard Large pieces of equipment restrict air flow, use lab jacks to maintain dynamic flows ...
Any work with a biological agent that poses an airborne infection risk must be conducted in an MSC. Before you start work, turn the MSC on, remove the night door and allow the airflows to stabilise for 5 minutes. Correct MSC function is dependent on airflows within the cabinet not being disrupted Keep clutter to a minimum Keep centrifuges, etc. out...
Perform a safety check at the end of each experiment and before leaving the lab. Isolate services / supplies are necessary. Return unused materials, equipment and apparatus to their correct storage locations Dispose of all waste appropriately using the correct waste streams. Where necessary label materials and ensure the SDS is available. Departme...
As well as the hazards presented by chemicals and biological agents in use in a laboratory, there are other hazards which also need to be considered:-
The most common laboratory incidents, involve handling glassware. The resulting injuries can be cuts, burns and even poisoning when cut by contaminated glassware. These can be avoided by following a few simple rules when handling glassware and ensuring the correct type of glass is used for the activity. Ensure you have received proper instructions ...
Ensure all equipment is fit for purpose and maintained. Portable electrical equipment will display a sticker to indicate when it was last checked for electrical safety. Carry out a pre-use check and test any safety devices before using and don’t use any equipment that is damaged. Heating devices can include: Hotplates, Tube & Box Furnaces, He...
Familiarise yourself with the operations of the vacuum system. Make sure you have the correct types of vessel / glassware for the level of vacuum being created. Ensure that glassware is plastic coated / meshed or that there is a physical barrier between you and the glass. NB: the sash of the fume cupboard may provide this protection. Always use a t...
You must be trained to handle cylinders and how to attach the correct regulator before handing any gas cylinder. The gases contained in the cylinder can present a range of hazards, toxic, corrosive, asphyxiant, oxygen enrichment etc. The space in which they are used may need specialist monitoring systems. Ensure any risk assessment for the space is...
You must be trained to handle cryogenic liquid gases The typical cryogenic liquids in use at the University are Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Helium. The hazards associated with the handling and use of cryogenic liquids are: Asphyxiation due to oxygen depletion Cold Burns Cold effect on the lungs Ice-plug formation leading to high velocity ejection or...
All laboratory equipment including instrumentation should be captured in relevant risk assessments. The manufacturer’s safety and technical information and the user manual should be consulted to aid the development of these assessments as it will provide information on the system requirements, details of any known hazards and how to operate the ...
Risk is a part of everyday life and you are not expected to eliminate all risks. What you must do is make sure you know about the significant risks and the things you need to do to manage them to an acceptable level. Generally, you need to do everything 'reasonably practicable'. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to ...
Using chemicals or other substances at work can put people’s health at risk; the University needs to ensure that work is carried out in a manner which is sufficiently controlled to prevent ill health.
Anything harmful by inhalation, ingestion or by skin contact Anything carrying a warning label indicating toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant Substantial quantities of dust Biological agents including cell lines, animals, insects etc. All of the above are covered by COSHH and requires a specific assessment of the activity involving the use of haz...
Identify the hazardous substances and the reactivity, fire and explosion, health and environmental hazards – use the information provided on the safety data sheet. Always consider the use of a less hazardous alternative where possible, or consider an alternative method which does not require hazardous substances.
Most of our use of hazardous substances are in laboratories. For most uses, standard precautions (including the use of engineering controls (LEVs), safe handling practices, and appropriate laboratory PPE) if they are applied in full, will ensure adequate control. Details of standard precautions can be found in appendix 1 Sometimes it will not be po...
COSHH is not a paper exercise – the purpose of COSHH assessment is to ensure that the right precautions are identified and implemented. The COSHH Regulations require, so far as is reasonably practicable, that you prevent exposure to substances hazardous to health. You should consider the general principles of prevention The ‘Hierarchy of Hazard Con...
The University is required to see that control measures and safe systems of work are actually used. This is why it is necessary to provide information, training and supervision (Section 5.3.6). Principle Investigators / Supervisors should monitor that all work is properly assessed i.e. that either the use of standard precautions is recorded or ther...
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
Lone working is generally not allowed in a laboratory. (It is never allowed in undergraduate labs). Where lone working may be required, this must be in agreement with your supervisor and a suitable risk assessment must be in place. Departments will have their own ‘lone working’ arrangements and these must be communicated and followed.
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The laboratory environment can be a hazardous place to work. Laboratory workers are exposed to numerous potential hazards including chemical, biological, physical and radio-active hazards, as well as musculoskeletal stresses. Laboratory safety is governed by numerous local, state and federal regulations.
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Dec 21, 2020 · This fourth edition of the manual builds on the risk assessment framework introduced in the third edition. A thorough, evidence-based and transparent assessment of the risks allows safety measures to be balanced with the actual risk of working with biological agents on a case-by-case basis. This novel evidence- and risk-based approach will ...
Post- analytical phase. laboratory quality standardsThere are several internationally accepted standards applicable to laboratories (Table 1) and many of thes. have been developed by ISO. Standards ensure desirable characteristics of products and services such as quality, safety, reliability, eff.
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Jan 14, 2021 · The WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual (LBM) has been in broad use at all levels of clinical and public health laboratories, and other biomedical sectors, serving as a de facto global standard that presents best practices and provides the foundation upon which national policy instruments are built since the release of its first edition in 1983. The thoroughly revised 4th edition, LBM4, that ...
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National guidelines on laboratory biosafety should be followed in all circumstances. For general information on laboratory biosafety guidelines, see the WHO . Laboratory biosafety manual: third edition (3) in the interim before the fourth edition is released. assessment and only by . Key points • Each laboratory should conduct a local (that is,
