Search

Keeping laboratory workers safe is a top priority and challenge for laboratory management. Implementation of a laboratory safety program, efficient laboratory design, and effective security measures are some considerations for [...]

When it comes to managing a laboratory safety program, it is always favorable to utilize proactive indicators. The best approach is to use indicators and practices that can prevent safety [...]

Laboratory workers should take the necessary precautions when handling specimens and waste, especially those related to bloodborne pathogens. Washing of hands and changing of gloves and laboratory coats are two of the most basic and important precautions yet not all laboratorians practice them. Laboratorians should also know the procedures when such accidents happen. Some observers are concerned that managed care would encourage laboratories to reduce costs, possibly at the expense of safety., Precautions related to bloodborne pathogens, and the handling of specimens and waste are among the chief concerns of laboratorians today. Find out how your lab stacks up and how safety [...]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put into effect its Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories rule on Jan 31, 1991. The standard applies to laboratory workers' exposure to chemicals that pose acute or chronic health risks. OSHA requires laboratories to formulate and implement a Chemical Hygiene Plan as part of the standard. This plan should be able to provide adequate protection for employees and ensure that exposure levels will remain under permissible limits set in OSHA 1910.1000 regulations.

For the past 20 years, Don Lassiter, Ph.D., has collected annual data on work-related injuries and illnesses from semiconductor manufacturers--the same data the companies must report to the U.S. Occupational [...]

Pharmacy technicians have been found to be more accurate than pharmacists when checking medication cassettes, according to a study in the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy. The 39 technicians, [...]

Daniel M. Baer Masks for AFB Q I work in a small (125-bed) hospital laboratory that offers routine bacteriology and fungal cultures. AFB cultures are sent to a reference laboratory. [...]

Today's healthcare environment presents many challenges to laboratorians or clinicians responsible for arterial blood gas (ABG) testing. They are expected to do more with less staff, contain testing costs, and [...]

AIDS and the lab: Infection control guidelines Most laboratorians have at one time or another been concerned about the risk of handling specimens from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. […]

Laboratory workers rank second only to nurses in the number of employees who contract AIDS on the job. Methods for preventing needlestick injuries and other forms of possible transmission are discussed.