Health Specialist Cell: 352-260-7435 Email: Subcommittee on Research Safety (SRS) Chair Dr. Kamal Mohammed Ext.: 7446; Room: D106-1 After Hours: 352-256-2030 Email: Subcommittee on Research Safety (SRS) Coordinator Christopher Johnston (352) 548-6481 After Hours: (352) 870-1756 Email: SRS – Research Service Liaison (SRS Forms and Documents) TBA Ext.:TBA; Room: TBA Email: TBA VMU Staff Anthony Mejia Ext.: 6495; Room: VMU Email: WOC Coordinator Wanda Thomas Ext.: 4204 (Cisco phone) Email: RESEARCH SERVICE SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Table of Contents
You should alert your supervisor and reassess health risks involved with and BSL-2 material that you are working with when: You have a cold or the flu You are pregnant You have been diagnosed with or suspect that you may have an immune disorder All of the above Site-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) as well as an exposure control plan (ECP): Outline in detail all measures that will be taken to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to hazards Must be workplace-specific Must be readily accessible to employees All of the above If an exposure incident occurs, the exposed employee should: Wash the exposed skin with soap and water, flush other exposed areas with water, and inform their supervisor / administration Seek medical treatment at the location identified in your exposure control plan A or B, as appropriate Go on as if nothing happened Which one of the following procedures could generate aerosols? Sonicating tissue culture cells Intranasal / intratracheal inoculation of animals Vortexing / homogenizing solutions All of the above Which one of the following practices best prevents worker exposure to infectious aerosols? Balancing the safety cups prior to placing them in the centrifuge Opening the centrifuge safety cups only in the biological safety cabinet Using a splash shield to open rubber-stoppered tubes Wearing a surgical mask while performing work 25. Ethanol or isopropyl alcohol solutions are not a preferred disinfectant, because: They require a long contact time and have a fast evaporation rate They do not have broad spectrum disinfectant capability All of the above 26. Fabric chairs are allowed at lab benches and microscopes according to both the 5th edition (2009) of the CDC/NIH publication, “Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) and the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (March 2013). True False NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (March 2013) consider which of the following when conducting a risk assessment: Gene Vector Intended / Unintended hosts Training / Safe practices All of the above 1
Biological Safety Cabinets used for infectious / potentially infectious material must be certified at least: Daily Monthly Yearly Once Which of the following protects both the user and the material that is being handled: Fume hood Clean bench Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) All of the above 30. In a Class II, Type A2 biological safety cabinet (typical unit found in most labs): Downward laminar flow splits 2-6 inches above work surface between front and rear grills HEPA-filtered air from the cabinet is re-circulated in the unit and also exhausts to the room It is safe to work with substantial amounts of chemicals and radiolabeled nucleotides A and B only 31. Open flames are not allowed in a biological safety cabinet because They disrupt airflow patterns that protect user and product They can damage HEPA filters They pose a fire hazard All of the above Acceptable alternatives to Bunsen burner use in the biological safety cabinet (BSC) include: Disposable loops, spreaders, or glass beads Bacticinerator Wrist-operated Touch-O-Matic burner All of the above It’s okay to store pipette tips and microcentrifuge tubes in the biological safety cabinet as long as they are pushed up against the back wall of the cabinet. True False Which of the following practices should be utilized when working in a biological safety cabinet? Disinfect all surfaces of the BSC before and after work Disinfect all items which go into and come out of the BSC Allow the BSC to operate before work begins and after work ceases All of the above If a spill should occur within a Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC), what steps would immediately be taken? A. Turn off the BSC, grab the biological spill kit, and immediately wipe up the spill with a dry, absorbent towel Turn off the BSC and pour a germicidal agent on the spill Turn off the BSC, evacuate the laboratory, and notify company safety authorities Leave the BSC on, grab the biological spill kit, add absorbent material and germicidal agent, wipe up the spill once contact time has permitted inactivation, and remove corrosive residue with 70% ethanol. Leave the BSC on, grab the biological spill kit and wipe up the spill with a dry, absorbent towel 36. Disinfectants decontaminate soiled and clean surfaces equally well. True False
Household bleach solutions used for surface disinfection should be prepared: Once a day Once a week Once a month When the bottle is empty In order to avoid wearing gloves outside the laboratory, you should: Not work with infectious agents Use a disinfected, leak-proof secondary container for transport Open doors for someone else who is using gloves to transport your materials Take gloves off and leave them on the bench so that you can put them back on when you get back The vaccine that must be offered to personnel working with human blood cells is: hepatitis A virus hepatitis B virus tetanus malaria 40. Blood-borne pathogens may be transmitted with contact to: Eyes Mucous membranes Broken skin All of the above 41. A surgical mask alone provides mucous membrane protection True False Surgical masks and N-95 respirators provide the same level of protection against aerosols. True False The primary strategy for Hepatitis C prevention is: Immunization Universal precautions Post exposure treatment A and B only Which of the following is true regarding Hepatitis B: The virus is only viable for a few minutes once outside the body Three vaccinations are required for protection, each given one week apart Is only transmitted by a stick with a contaminated needle Infections have dropped by about 95% since the introduction of the vaccine Which of the following is true regarding the most common BBP diseases: Hepatitis B is more transmissible than Hepatitis C HIV is more transmissible than Hepatitis B Which of the following is NOT a good control to use against infection/exposure to BBP diseases? Safety equipment (engineering controls) Safe work practices Personal protective equipment Your immune system BIOSAFETY QUIZ – ANSWER KEY B D D B – A commercial laundry service is required. If contaminated or potentially contaminated with
infectious materials, lab coats must be bleached / autoclaved before they leave the facility. B – Foot cover must appropriately shield feet from exposure to percutaneous injury, corrosives, or biologicals E D D C A A B – Always wash hands after removing gloves. Glove integrity may be unknowingly compromised. B – Hand washing is superior, but sanitizers are allowable if a sink is not immediately available. Hands must still be washed as soon as possible. B B – Remember to minimize handling of sharps! D D D B D D C D B (answers a and c will help prevent exposure, but b is the best answer) C B E C C D D D B – blocking the rear plenum (grates) will disrupt the airflow and could compromise containment / protection D D B A B B D B – A surgical mask protects the user’s mouth from splashes, but eyes have mucous membranes, too! B – N95 respirators offer superior protection. However, they are (have two straps and seal to the face) and require fit testing for effectiveness assurance. B D A D fitting
Use/Exposure: Compressed gases are used in many clinical laboratories. They are found in varying sizes and in pure or mixed states. Examples: ammonia, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. NOTE: Compressed gases can be toxic, radioactive, flammable and explosive. These effects arise from the compression of the gas and the health effects of the chemical itself. Glass Use/Exposure: Glassware is used as bottles, beakers, flasks, test tubes, pipettes and tubing. Chipped, cracked, badly etched glassware and sharp edges present hazards as well as broken glass. NOTE: Cuts, scratches, abrasions are potential locations for infection. VI. SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS The following practices have been added to this chemical hygiene plan as a prevention of physical injury which can have the secondary effect of toxic exposure or injury. ELECTRICAL SAFETY 1. Grounding All laboratory instrumentation must be grounded and initially checked by Engineering personnel in accordance with Engineering SOP No. 5, “Equipment Management Program and New Equipment Testing”. If the equipment is intended for use on human subjects, Biomedical Engineering Technicians will need to perform safety tests and properly certify that the devices are safe for this purpose. The use of personally owned electrical devices in the medical center is governed by the procedures contained in NF/SGVHS Memorandum No. 90-10, “Personally Owned Property Placed In Official Use”. 2. Shocks All shocks of any magnitude must be reported immediately to the Biomedical Engineering Technician for Research. Corrective Action in Case of Shock Shut off the current and/or unplug the instrument. Do not use the instrument that is causing shock. Report the incident immediately to the Safety Officer and Biomedical Engineering. 4. Repairs Repairs on the electrical system are not to be performed by laboratory personnel. The Biomedical Engineering Technician must be consulted at ext. 6501 for assistance.