CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 5: LABORATORY SAFETY 95
Escape routes should be posted in every area
of the building so those seeking to escape a fire
will not enter a dead-end hallway or enter an
elevator that might stop near the fire.
Personal Safety in Fires
A fire blanket should be available where there
is any risk of flames and explosion. If clothing
becomes ignited, a fire blanket may be used to
extinguish the flames before serious injury occurs.
Quick response to extinguish flames on one’s
clothing and to aid in either putting out flames on
one’s person or removing toxic chemicals from the
skin before serious injury results may be obtained
with use of a fire blanket (Figure 5-9) or an emergency
shower (Figure 5-10), respectively. Workers
should be trained as to the location of the fire
extinguishers and in the type to use for various
combustible elements, as well as being offered the
opportunity to physically hold and operate the
extinguisher. Fire drills are required to be held,
and escape routes should not have blocked exit
doors either from the inside or the outside.
Policies for Disposal of Medical
Wastes and Toxic Chemicals
Policies must be instituted for proper disposal
of both biohazardous wastes and toxic chemicals.
Training of employees is also required to be
conducted on a regular basis. All biohazardous
wastes must be disposed of according to state,
local, and federal regulations. These regulations
can vary from one location to another and
may change periodically because of research
or changing policies by Safety Committees and
even government agencies. Most hospitals now
procure the services of a commercial waste disposal
firm that will provide for safe collection,
storage, and pickup of biohazardous wastes
for transport to a facility where the materials
are incinerated at extremely high temperatures.
Since smoke from some of these materials is
toxic, the smokestacks sometimes rise to a height
of more than 100 feet, and a distillation process
FIGURE 5-8 Typical fire extinguisher with tag indicating when last
serviced.
Source: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
FIGURE 5-9 Fire blanket to extinguish clothing fires.
Source: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
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