Addressing Challenges in Laboratory Safety: Best Practices for BMLT Students

 

From the very first day of a bmlt course, all students must be made aware of all the laboratory safety measures that they must follow not only in their student life but also after they transition into their professional life. A laboratory is a place where one can not only face the risk of contamination with infectious viruses, and diseases that are brought in through medical samples, but they can also face the risk of being exposed to certain chemicals and gases. Also, one should be extra careful not to contaminate samples sent in by patients or doctors. All laboratories have a common set of safety rules which should always be kept updated according to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

 

 

Some of the safety rules are as follows:

• Wearing a Sterile Uniform:

1. A clean and sterilised uniform and mask not only protects patients but also keeps the laboratory technicians safe by preventing the spread and transmission of disease.

2. One should wear a head cap over tied hair to prevent contamination due to hair.

3. Technicians should wear gloves at all times while collecting samples and handling chemicals. Double gloves are advised in extreme cases.

4. Shoecover should to worn inside the laboratory premises to protect one’s shoes from chemical spillage and prevent the spread of infection.

5. To avoid harmful aerosols, technicians should also wear protective eyewear.

• How to Handle Specimen:

1. Pipetting should be done with the help of a mechanical device or bulb.

2. Collection of samples should always be done with the help of a sterilised syringe.

3. Open wounds should be covered with waterproof bandages while collecting samples or performing procedures.

• How to Handle Chemicals:

1. It is crucial to label all chemicals and one should make it a habit to label glassware before adding chemicals.

2. Chemicals should never be smelled directly as they may contain or release dangerous gases which can even be deadly.

3. Chemicals should be disposed of in appropriate waste containers.

• Appropriate Disposal of Lab Waste:

1. A technician must know what to do with the products and by-products after an experiment is complete.

2. Contaminated trash should be disposed of with appropriate precaution in biohazard-labelled containers.

3. Processing waste with the help of incinerators is the best option as it does not endanger the health of patients and staff.

• How to Handle Equipment:

1. All lab equipment should be appropriately handled with care.

2. Glasswares should be handled with both hands whenever possible.

3. Tongs should be used in case of handling something too hot or cold.

4. Defective instruments should never be used.

5. Microscope is an essential instrument, that should be held with both hands always.

• Taking Care of Hand Hygiene:

1. A lab technician must properly clean their hands on entering and leaving the lab in the following ways -

2. Holding hands under the water and moistening them enough to form a lather with soap or handwash.

3. Rubbing palms together and then the back of the hands.

4. One must clean the base of fingernails, thumbs and wrists. Hands should be rinsed.

5. Lastly, a BMLT student must ensure that their hands are properly dried.

• Other Standard Precautions:

1. Technicians should never store or eat food in the laboratory as there are high chances of the food getting contaminated.

2. All members of the laboratory should be made aware of the location of fire extinguishers and blankets, eyewash stations and safety showers.

3. Special precautions should be taken while handling samples from patients suffering from transmissible and infectious diseases.

4. Each laboratory personnel should ensure that the instrument and equipment are properly sterilised before every use.

5. Certain equipment like needles, gloves, ice packs, pipette tips, etc. should never be reused.

6. Every lab should follow some standard precautions while handling body substances like blood, saliva, excretion, etc.

The need for necessary workplace-specific training should begin in bmlt colleges in kolkata. The primary reason for training lab technicians with lab safety measures is the presence of dangerous tools, contaminable substances and biohazardous elements in the laboratory. These trainings in the primary stage of course helps avoid major mishaps. A lab technician must ensure that not only them but others are also safe in the environment. It’s also crucial to be cautious of what other researchers and coworkers are using and doing. A career in laboratory technology can thus be challenging, exciting and rewarding all at the same time.