1 Transfusion Medicine Lab Guidelines
- Safety glasses to be worn at all times in the Transfusion Medicine Lab
- Uncap tubes by pointing them away from you (and not at somebody else) and gently remove the cap.
- Disposable gloves should be worn at all times when handling specimens.
- Wash hands in the “clean” sink before leaving the laboratory.
- If gloves are punctured or cut, they should be removed immediately; hands should be washed thoroughly and new gloves used.
- Cuts or sores on hands should be covered with a waterproof dressing.
- Lab coats should be worn at all times in the laboratory. Dirty lab coats are not to be worn outside the lab area.
- Spills of blood should be cleaned promptly with freshly made 0.5% solution of commercial hypochlorite in water (dilute bleach), using disposable towels as per NSCC’s Medical Laboratory Technology Program’s safety manual.
- Maintain a clean and well-organized bench work area. At the end of the day benches are to be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution.
- Laboratory results are always recorded in pen (NOT pencil) and changes are made with a single line through the record/result and initialed. Erasures or white out are NOT acceptable. It is not acceptable to re-write or discard any worksheets in the lab.
- Do not leave transfer/pasteur pipettes in tubes. Use a clean one each time, discarding used pipettes into biohazard buckets on benches. At the end of the day empty these buckets into the yellow biohazard buckets.
- Tie long hair back off face to avoid hair getting into lab samples. No “touching” hair with dirty hands.
- Notify instructor immediately of an injury (no matter how minor).
- Do not bring coats, purses and other personal items into the laboratory. Store these items in a secure place, ie, lockers. You will be given several page protectors so the SOP’s you are using will be protected and there will be a document stand available for you to use.
- Never eat, drink, apply lip balm etc. in the lab. Do not place hands on or near face
Transfusion Medicine Lab Guidelines
Note: Handle all blood and blood products as if “Infectious”
- Supernatant saline from hand cell washing is to be poured into desk top biohazard waste buckets until the end of lab. Pour biohazard bucket waste directly down “dirty” sinks, followed by disinfection of the bucket and sink(s) daily using dilute bleach solution. After disinfection rinse with large quantities of water.
- Biohazardous waste is to be placed into yellow biohazard buckets. Lids are to be placed under buckets while in use. Full buckets are to be taken to Dianne’s room, secure white lid with mallet and replace with a new bucket.
- Discard cell suspensions, and reaction tubes in biohazard buckets, being careful not to insert hands down “into” buckets but gently dropping tubes so there are no “splash-backs” or flying broken glass.
- Paper and non-biohazard materials go in regular garbage bags.
- Viralex or another metallic safe disinfectant should be used to disinfect metallic objects, ie, centrifuge, water-baths, fridges, etc. or clean with dilute bleach solution and rinse well with distilled water.
- No mouth pipetting.
- Do not use equipment with frayed wires, cracked insulation, damaged plugs or missing ground prongs. Inform instructor when equipment is not properly working or if there is a problem with receptacles.
- Know how to use equipment properly.
- Ask for help and instruction when needed