POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The policies and procedures listed below are taken, in part, from the CDC-NIH publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (4th Edition, May 1999; found at http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/ds/pubs/bmbl/contents.htm ). The chapter is entitled "Laboratory Biosafety Level Criteria - Biosafety Level 2 (BSL 2)". Additionally, the WSU Safety Policies and Procedures Manual (SPPM) and other applicable guidelines were used.

 

1. Standard Microbiological Practices
1. Access to the laboratory is limited or restricted by the laboratory director when work with infectious agents is in progress. Refer to Appendix A for laboratory entry guidelines.
2. Persons wash their hands after handling infectious materials and animals and prior to leaving the laboratory.
3. Eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, and applying cosmetics are not permitted in the work area. Food storage cabinets must be located outside of the work area and must be designated for this purpose only.
4. Mouth pipetting is prohibited; mechanical pipetting devices are used.
5. All procedures are performed carefully to minimize the creation of splashes and aerosols.
6. Work surfaces are decontaminated at least once a day and after any spill of viable material.
7. All infectious liquid or solid wastes are decontaminated before disposal. Contaminated materials that are to be decontaminated at a site away from the laboratory are placed in durable, labeled, leak-proof containers which are sealed and labeled in accordance with SPPM S80.12 before being removed from the laboratory.
8. An insect and rodent control program is in effect. Refer to Appendix B.
9. All laboratory's are required to supply access to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) for all chemicals in the laboratory. For more information on MSDS's, refer to your Laboratory Safety Manual, section II pages 23-24.

2. Special Practices
1. The laboratory director limits, or restricts access to the laboratory when work with infectious agents is in progress. In general, persons who are at increased risk of acquiring infection or for whom infection may be unusually hazardous are not allowed in the laboratory. The director has the final responsibility for assessing each circumstance and determining who may enter or work in the laboratory. Refer to Appendix A for laboratory entry guidelines.
2. The laboratory director establishes policies and procedures whereby only persons who have been advised of the potential hazard and meet any specific entry requirements (e.g. immunization) enter the laboratory. Refer to Appendix A for specific entry requirements.
3. A hazard warning sign incorporating the Universal Biohazard symbol is posted on the access doors to the facility. The warning sign identifies the lab biosafety level, infectious agent(s) present, the name and telephone number of the laboratory director and other responsible persons, special requirements for entry such as immunizations, PPE needed, and exit procedures.
4. Laboratory personnel receive appropriate immunizations or tests for the agents handled or potentially present in the laboratory (e.g.TB skin test, HBV vaccine). Refer to Appendix A for appropriate immunizations.
5. When appropriate, considering the agent(s) handled, baseline serum samples for laboratory and other at-risk personnel are collected and stored. Additional serum specimens may be collected periodically, depending on the agents handled or the function of the facility. Refer to Appendix C for laboratory Medical Surveillance procedures. Medical Surveillance records shall be kept for the duration of employment plus 30 years.
6. A biosafety manual is prepared and adopted. Personnel are advised of special hazards and are required to read instructions on practices and procedures, and to follow them. Refer to Appendix A for entry policies and procedures. Refer to Appendix D for specific safe lab practices, risks associated with agents encountered in the lab, training required, and special precautions needed to work with the agents present. In addition, an area of the lab needs to be designated and SOPs need to be described for particularly hazardous chemicals in Section IV of the Lab Safety Manual.
7. Laboratory personnel receive appropriate training on the potential hazards associated with the work involved, the necessary precautions to prevent exposures, and the exposure evaluation procedures. Personnel receive annual updates, or additional training as necessary for procedural or policy changes. Refer to Appendix D for laboratory hazard training.
8. A high degree of caution must be used when dealing with any contaminated sharp items such as scalpels, needles or capillary tubes. Hypodermic needles and syringes are used only for parenteral injection and aspiration of fluids from diaphragm bottles.
1. Only needle-locking syringes or disposable syringe-needle units are used for the injection or aspiration of infectious fluids and are only used when no other option is available. Extreme caution is used when handling needles and syringes to avoid autoinoculation and the generation of aerosol during use and disposal.
2. Needles should never be recapped. Syringes which re-sheath the needle, needleless systems, and other safety devices should be used when appropriate.
3. Needles should not be bent, sheared, replaced in the sheath or guard, or removed from the syringe following use. The needle and syringe should be promptly placed in a, labeled, leakproof, puncture-resistant container for disposal. Refer to the WSU Safety Policies and Procedures Manual section S80.12 and S80.13.
4. Broken glass must not be handled directly by hand, but must be removed by mechanical means such as tongs, dustpan or forceps and immediately placed in a labeled, designated waste container for broken glass, decontaminated, and disposed of appropriately. Refer to the WSU Safety Policies and Procedures Manual section S80.14.1.
9. Cultures, tissue, or specimens are placed in a container that prevents leakage during collection, handling, processing, storage, transport, or shipping.
10. Equipment and work surfaces should be decontaminated with an appropriate disinfectant on a routine basis, after work is completed with infectious agents, and after any spills or splashes of infectious agents.

____________________________________________________________________________
List all disinfectants used in the lab and what they are used for, such as equipment and agents used on.



11. Special care is taken to avoid skin contamination with infectious materials (see Section C Containment Equipment and Section D Personal Protective Equipment.)
12. All wastes are appropriately sealed, labeled, decontaminated, and disposed of.

_________________________________________________
STATE THE METHOD OF DECONTAMINATION (autoclaving, incineration, bleaching, etc.) OF INFECTIOUS OR REGULATED WASTES.

_________________________________________________
ALSO STATE THE LOCATION OF THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED, SUCH AS AN AUTOCLAVE. Refer to SPPM S80.12.

13. All spills and accidents of biological agents are to be reported to the laboratory director immediately. Spill cleanup procedures should be described in Appendix D. Medical evaluation, surveillance, and treatment are provided as appropriate and written records are maintained for at least 30 years. Refer to Appendix C for the laboratory Medical Surveillance procedures.
14. Plants and animals not involved in the work being performed are not permitted in the laboratory.

3. Containment Eqiupment
1. Biological safety cabinets (BSC) or other appropriate personal protective or physical containment devices are used whenever:
1. Procedures with a high potential for creating infectious aerosols are conducted. These may include centrifuging, grinding, blending, vigorous shaking or mixing, sonic disruption, and opening containers of infectious materials whose internal pressures may be different from ambient pressures. Infectious materials may be centrifuged in the open laboratory if sealed heads or safety cups are used and if they are opened only in a biological safety cabinet.
2. High concentrations or large volumes of infectious agents are used.
2. Biological safety cabinets are certified at the time of installation, any time the BSC is moved, and at least annually thereafter. Refer to the WSU Safety Policies and Procedures Manual page S80.10.3.
3. CDC procedures for use of biosafety cabinets:
   http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ds/pubs/bsc/contents.html

4. Personal Protective Equipment
1. A written assessment of laboratory risks must be performed to determine the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) required for a particular task. The appropriate PPE will be assigned for each potentially hazardous task performed in the lab. Include decontamination and waste disposal processes.
   
   *Fill in a row on the PPE assessment form (Attachment 1) for each laboratory task. Use the following examples as an assessment guide.
1. Face protection (goggles, mask, face shield) is used for anticipated splashes or sprays of infectious or other hazardous materials, when microorganisms must be manipulated outside of a biosafety cabinet.
2. Laboratory coats, gowns, smocks, or uniforms are worn while in the laboratory. Before leaving the laboratory for non-laboratory areas, this protective clothing is removed and left in the laboratory. All protective clothing is either disposed of in the laboratory or laundered by the institution. Taking home protective equipment is prohibited.
3. Gloves are worn when handling infected animals and when hands may contact infectious or hazardous materials, surfaces, or equipment. Wearing two pairs of gloves may be appropriate; if a spill or splatter occurs, the hand will be protected after the contaminated glove is removed. Gloves are disposed of when contaminated and removed when work is completed. Gloves are not worn outside of the laboratory. Disposable gloves are not washed or reused. Non-latex gloves are recommended by WSU Environmental Health and Safety.
4. If respiratory protection is required, contact WSU Environmental Health and Safety for a medical evaluation, hazard assessment, and fit testing before doing any work requiring the use of a respirator.

5. Laboratory Facilities
1. Each laboratory will contain a sink for handwashing.
2. The laboratory is designed so that it can be easily cleaned. Rugs are not allowed.
3. Bench tops are impervious to water and resistant to acids, alkalis, organic solvents, and moderate heat.
4. Laboratory furniture is sturdy, with nonporous upholstery; spaces between benches, cabinets, and equipment are accessible for cleaning.
5. If the laboratory has windows that open, they will be fitted with fly screens.
6. An eyewash and emergency shower facility is available within 50 feet and a maximum of 10 seconds access time.

________________________________________________________
STATE THE LOCATION OF THE EYEWASH AND SHOWER FACILITIES.