The lab technologist approached the lab safety officer (LSO) to ask what should be done with a collection of liquid wastes that were collected from the...
An important part of the diversion prevention and detection initiatives of any institution is limiting access to controlled drugs through physical security measures and instituting measures that allow identification of the culprit when diversion does occur.
(Departmental workplace violence risk assessment courtesy of Bryan Warren, president and chief consultant for WarSec Security; for more information on this tool, go ...
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and while hopefully your laboratory staff aren’t children, they should know the protocols for eye protection when dealing with hazardous materials. American workers experience 2,000 eye-...
Safety audits are performed in laboratories across the world, but in some of these locations the environment remains very unsafe and performing audits hasn’t made any difference. Mistakes can be made when performing a laboratory audit, and those errors can lead to dangerous situations. While all...
Get your respiratory protection program up to date and make sure it’s written and enforced, because OSHA inspectors are pressing to put those violations in a category that could mean a penalty of up to $156,259 per violation.
Biorisk and biosecurity management protects lab workers and the communities they work in from the unintended, or intended, release of biological agents. The importance of this cannot be overstated, given the unknowns clinical lab workers face when testing patient samples and other materials.
If your lab or clinic hasn’t done so already, it will have to review its supply, storage, and placement of alcohol-based hand rub and sanitizers, says Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, a laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia.
As a lab safety professional, it can be frustrating to see safety issues go unattended, especially after they have been reported. The apparent roadblocks to solutions may be a lack of funds, busy or disinterested leadership, or even a poor culture of safety. There are steps you can take, however...
