CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

Laboratory Safety
CHAPTER 5
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:
• Describe the personal
responsibility of the worker for
maintaining a safe environment.
• List a number of physical hazards
associated with the workplace.
• List some sources with the
potential for transmitting
infectious diseases.
• Differentiate between general
safety and fire safety.
• Discuss the importance of
accident investigations.
KEY TERMS
Acquired immunodefi ciency
syndrome (AIDS)
Biohazardous materials
Biohazards
Hazardous chemicals
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Infection Control Committee or
Exposure Control Committee
Sharps
Safety Committee
Introduction
Safety should be foremost in the minds of all employees of a health care facility.
Safety is the business of everyone, and prevention is the best cure. However,
accidents will continue to occur, and preventive measures (training, documenting
steps taken to address dangerous situations) will minimize the impact of injuries
on the facility and on a personal basis. Due to the nature of the work, and the
persons with whom the workers are in contact, the risks to workers and patients
may be amplified. Thus, it is wise to include the issue of visitors to the facility
when discussing means of preventing injuries and illnesses. Health care workers
should seek to provide good patient care while ensuring that the environment for
the patients and the workers is conducive to maintaining physical and emotional
health. Safety issues are more than just a responsibility to one’s co - workers,
oneself, and the patients. They are a volatile legal issue as manifested by suits
brought by both patients and workers who have been harmed by injuries and
from contracting preventable infections. In the late 1970s, a focus on safety was
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