Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety - Third Edition

The Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety – Third Edition is now available for purchase at a 10% discount. Go to http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-8435-EB94423A.

This popular resource makes training and compliance easier by consolidating regulations from all relevant agencies (OSHA, Joint Commission, CAP, CLSI, DOT, state health department). Included with your hard-copy is a searchable, hyperlinked PDF to allow quick access to specific regulations. Operate your lab in an efficient and safe manner with customizable policies and procedures, practical case studies, and expert advice from lab safety authority Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP)MA Ed., The Safety Lady®.

The Complete Guide to Lab Safety, 3rd Edition will help you:
• Save time finding all lab safety regulations using the book and the searchable PDF
• Avoid costly OSHA fines by building and maintaining a culture of safety
• Protect lab employees from infectious diseases, bloodborne pathogens, and hazardous chemicals, using effective training techniques
• Develop an efficient compliance program with customizable policies, procedures and checklists

What's new in the 3rd Edition?
• Fully searchable PDF, enabling users to quickly find standards, key requirements, and important lab safety topics
• Fresh case studies and tools to reflect the current trends and outline proven solutions in lab safety
• Guidance on new waste management and chemical hygiene standards
• Lab-specific guidance for dealing with pandemic influenza

Take a look at the Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Law of Science and Laboratory Safety
Chapter 2: Managing Laboratory Safety
Chapter 3: Safe Work Practices
Chapter 4: Personal Protective Equipment
Chapter 5: Safety in Laboratory Design
Chapter 6: Ergonomics
Chapter 7: Hazard Communication
Chapter 8: Chemical Hygiene
Chapter 9: Bloodborne Pathogens and Infectious Disease
Chapter 10: Radiation Safety
Chapter 11: Fire Safety
Chapter 12: Electrical Safety
Chapter 13: Safe Use of Compressed Gases
Chapter 14: Special Safety Requirements for Anatomic Pathology Laboratories
Chapter 15: Safe Transport of Specimens
Chapter 16: Training
Appendix 1: Model Laboratory Safety Manual
Appendix 2: Checklist for Annual Safety Audit
Appendix 3: Glossary
For a 10% discount go to:
http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-8435-EB94423A

Pediatric Source Blood Draws

Labs in a pediatric faciity need to draw source-patient blood after a needlestick exposure just as in an adult facility. You cannot claim to observe universal precautions, which OSHA requires, when you assume that blood or body fluids from a pediatric patient pose no risk in an occupational exposure. If you don't obtain a blood sample, even from a pediatric patient, you are not in compliance with the OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard.

NIOSH Fact Sheet

NIOSH has just published a new fact sheet that indicates bloodborne pathogen exposure control plans must be specirfic to your facility, updated yearly and accessible to all employees. Recently OSHA fined a physician office $2,000 for not making the exposure control plan available to all its employees.

Training for Couriers

It is the responsibility of the employer of the couriers to training the couriers. If it is an outside firm, you must state in the contract that the employer is required to provide bloodborne pathogen as well as shipping training to each courier that picks up from your site.

If your couriers are in house, you are responsible for their training. They are to be trained on bloodborne pathogens and shipping as well. They are to understand that they are responsible for the package when it is in their possession. They have the right to refuse to take a package that is not appropriately packed and labeled therefore they need to know what is required for proper packaging so they can tell at a glance whether to accept the package or not. They are not responsible for packaging the shipment. That has do be done by whomever is shipping the package. Anytime blood or body fluids go across a public street or highway they must be packaged according to DOT. If it is a doctor’s office that is shipping to you, then they need to have shipping training also.

Information from OSHA about Physician Offices

Physicians and other medical professionals are dedicated to helping patients mend their injuries and cure their illnesses. Employers whose workplaces are in medical facilities must be aware of the importance of protecting their staff from hazards as well. Doctors, nurses and other staff face potential dangers from needlesticks, exposure to infectious diseases, contamination and dangerous chemicals. OSHA recognizes the significance of medical employees having a work environment reasonably free of occupational hazards. OSHA's Medical and Dental Offices: A Guide to Compliance with OSHA Standards (OSHA 3187), provides a brief overview of the hazards most frequently found in medical and dental offices. It also highlights the OSHA-approved standards and guidelines employers must follow to promote employee safety and health. The brochure summarizes standards on :
Bloodborne Pathogens
Hazard Communication
Ionizing Radiation
Exit Routes
Electrical

Visit OSHA's Web site for more informational materials focusing on safety and health dangers. Look for "Quick Tips" on a new occupational safety and health topic in your next issue of QuickTakes.