YTD Lab Incident Report

Summer Laboratory Safety Coordinator Meeting YTD Lab Incident Report Incidents • January to June time frame • Most incidents fell under two categories: Lacerations and Chemical spills/exposures • Note: Animal bites incidents are a joint issue with IACUC and are not in part of this presentation. Incidents: Chemical related • List of chemicals involved in recent spills and exposures: • • • • • • • • Acetone Sodium Hydroxide TEMED Benzyltriphenylphosphonium Malachite green n-Butyllithium Sodium azide Dimethyl sulfate • Leading root causes for the spills and exposures • Lack of training • Not conscientious • Defective equipment Lab Safety Spill Kit Demonstration Includes: • • • • • Absorbent Pads Spray Bottle Absorbent Boom Spill Pillows Hazardous Waste Labels Do not use these materials for nonemergencies Incidents: Sharps related • Forceps puncture • Cut with a razor • Cut from broken or chipped glassware (multiple) • Needle sticks • Cut from a pipet • Leading root causes for the lacerations: • Lack of training • Not conscientious Examples of how to prevent recurrence of incidents • Check glassware for cracking pitting hazing before use to mitigate sharps exposures • Only scale up an experiment after conduction of a new risk analysis • Choosing the appropriate PPE and donning and doffing correctly must be adhered. • Utilize modeling and mentoring with junior staff especially on equipment with higher probability of injury. • Request assistance from EHS for hazard analysis and risk assessments of procedures and experiments or lab spaces. • Remain mindful of the inherent experimental hazards regardless of familiarity. Sharps Training Identify Sharps Hazards… § Sharps include: needles, syringes, razor blades, slides, scalpels, glass-pipettes, broken plastic or glassware, and other devices capable of cutting or piercing the skin. What are your chances of infection from a contaminated sharps injury? HIV 1:300 HCV 1:50 HBV 1:5 (if your not vaccinated) § Injuries from sharps present a significant occupational health risk because such injuries may directly introduce pathogens, chemicals, or radioactive materials into the body. § Always practice universal precautions Avoiding Sharps Injuries… General Risk Factors Prevention Strategies Lack of Safety Devices Use Safety Devices as Intended. Select Needleless Systems When Available for the Application. Minimize Use of Glass and Select Plastic Alternatives. Inconveniently Placed or Overfilled Sharps Disposal Containers Place a Sharps Disposal Container Close to the Point of Operation. Immediately Dispose of Devices in Rigid, Sharps Containers and Do Not Overfill Busy, Congested Environments with Heavy Work Pressure and Rushing Be Aware of People Around You. Stop if You Feel Rushed or Distracted. Focus on the Task. Poor Housekeeping Create a Neutral Zone. Work in Well-Lit Areas. Organize Work Area. Frequent and Distracting Interruptions Limit Interruptions During Procedures. § It is estimated that more than 800,000 injuries occur annually in the U.S. from needles and other sharps. EHS Systems Update BioRAFT • BU has been live in BioRAFT for over 2 years now. • Modules rolled out • • • • • • • Platform (Locations, PIs, Spaces, Members, etc.) Inspections Training ChemTracker Haz Waste Radioisotope Equipment • As with any system data accuracy is the key to success BioRAFT and the LSC • As the designated LSC you have the ability to make the following changes: • Update Laboratory BioRAFT Profile (Office location, telephone #s, etc.) • KEEP IN MIND LABORATORY SPACES CAN ONLY BE ADDED/REMOVED BY EHS. IF THERE ARE SPACES MISSING FROM YOUR LABORATORY PROFILE PLEASE CONTACT YOUR EHS SAFETY SPECIALIST. • Add/Remove Members (important to keep up-to-date) • Manage/Edit JOB ACTIVITIES of members • VERY IMPORTANT in order to trigger the required safety trainings in BioRAFT • Without assigned job activities there is no training reminders/requirements • PLEASE MAKE SURE ASSIGNED JOB ACTIVITES MATCH THE WORK BEING PERFORMED IN YOUR LABORATORY BioRAFT and the LSC cont. • Manage training compliance (You and the PI are emailed a list of users who are delinquent on trainings in your lab) • Manage ChemTracker: To update your chemical inventory (required) • CFATS and Select Agent Toxins: It is important that these inventories be maintained in BioRAFT and any updates be made upon receipt/transfer/disposal. • Submit Hazardous Waste Pick Up Requests • CRC : functionality has been rolled out to entire campus • MED: being rolled out gradually building by building • Provide Additional Permissions to lab members • Hazardous Waste Pick ups/request supplies • Manage ChemTracker Preview of Things to Come • Haz Waste module roll out to rest of medical Campus • Currently only NEIDL and R Building are live on MED • Door sign module: • EHS has begun using the door sign module to generate HAZCOMs for all spaces • BioRAFT Door sign module relies on the hazards that are entered for your laboratory to prepopulate some of the fields on the HAZCOM • To that end it is important that laboratories update their hazards anytime there is a major change to the hazards or at least annually. Inspections/Training Data Analysis • Training Safety Compliance by Course: • • • • Laboratory Safety Training: 95.1% Chemical Safety Training: 96.6% BSL 1 & 2 Safety Training: 96.5% Bloodborne Pathogen Safety Training: 97.2% • Inspection Findings: (Top 5: Q4 2018, Q1 2019) • Chemical waste not stored appropriately in satellite accumulation area • Trainings are not completed as required by job activities • Chemical containers are not properly labelled and/or don’t meet GHS requirements • Chemical inventory not available and/or is not current • Chemicals not stored properly SAA Compliance and Bioraft Managing Hazardous Waste • Step 1: Set up Satellite Accumulation Area(s) (SAA). • This is the designated location where you’ll collect your hazardous waste chemicals • The area must be identified by a sign (available from EHS) • The area must have secondary containers under the chemical waste storage bottles • SAA must be located at the site where the chemical waste is generated • SAAs must visually inspected weekly Managing Hazardous Waste Containers • All Containers of hazardous waste in a SAA must: • Be tightly closed at all times • The cap must be on and securely closed (FUNNELS!!) • Bags must be tied/taped shut • Be segregated from incompatible wastes in the same SAA via different secondary containment (use two secondary containment trays to keep them apart) • Not be duplicated in the same SAA; only one container of each chemical waste can be active in an SAA (fill one, then start the second one) • Be labeled (next slide) Hazardous Waste Container Labeling • Every container of hazardous waste must be labeled at all times: • The words ‘Hazardous Waste’ (already printed on the labels EHS supplies) • The name of the chemical(s) in the container: • No abbreviations • Must be full, English words • A statement of the hazard; just check one (or more if appropriate) of the boxes on the label. • The date the container is FULL (i.e. the date you stop putting waste into it) Funnels must be closed when not in use Hoses can corrode and release glycol in chilling mechanisms (3) The containment system must have sufficient capacity to contain 10% of the volume of containers or the volume of the largest container, whichever is greater. Containers that do not contain free liquids need not be considered in this determination Inadequate containment!!! Lab Decontamination and Decommissioning: Why, What, Who, When, and How Why Decommission? • Lab Equipment and lab spaces may be contaminated with chemicals or biological hazards. • It’s important to remove these hazards before equipment is removed or a lab is turned over for the safety of the environment and people who will be working in that space in the future • The goal is to minimize hazards to the environment and people working with old lab equipment and lab spaces (Construction workers, Facilities, etc) What needs to be decontaminated? • Any equipment that has come into contact with a laboratory hazard, directly or indirectly. Common examples include: • Freezers and refrigerators • Centrifuges • Water baths • Incubators • Fume Hoods • Biological Safety Cabinets • Laboratory surfaces, floors, and chemical storage areas if the space is being vacated Who needs to perform decontamination? • Individuals who use the equipment are responsible for decontaminating lab equipment and spaces • For certain equipment, facilities or EHS may need to assist • Removing refrigerant MUST be done by HVAC. Labs should never attempt to remove refrigerant from a freezer or refrigerator • Please coordinate with EHS to remove unwanted chemicals • Once equipment has been decontaminated by the lab, EHS needs to post signage to show the equipment is decontaminated. Contact your Safety Specialist for assistance with this step When should we decontaminate? • Times when decontamination should be performed: • Moving • Getting rid of equipment • Giving equipment to another lab • Trucking/Facilities needs to relocate equipment • Decontamination can be done in advance, but decontamination signage issued by EHS has a 2 week expiration date. • Contact your Safety Specialist well before a big planned move or equipment disposal so they can help you come up with a decontamination plan How? • Wipe down all surfaces on equipment with either 70% ethanol or 10% freshly prepared bleach • For radioactive equipment and spaces, Radiation Safety must be contacted • Drain pump oil if required and dispose of as waste • Contact EHS for mercury containing equipment or lead containing equipment • Do not remove refrigerant gas yourself. HVAC will take care of this at a separate facility • Ensure all unwanted chemicals are removed • Rinse sink traps with bleach • Fill out the EHS Decontamination form and give it to your lab’s EHS Safety Specialist • Coordinate removal with Facilities • Make sure the green equipment decontamination sticker is placed Emergency Eyewash and Safety Showers Responsibility Managers responsible in areas where emergency eyewash stations are located will: • conduct weekly flushes and complete the weekly inspection check sheet • maintain clear access to and around the emergency eyewash station and safety shower • report deficiencies of the equipment to the Control Center or complete an online work request • ensure their employees are trained on the location and use of the equipment in their area Training and Forms Every area where corrosives or flammable liquids are handled or where open flame devices are used shall be equipped with an emergency eyewash station, a safety shower, or both. Employees who may be exposed to corrosive or flammable materials shall be instructed in the location and proper use of the equipment by their manager - EHS is available for assistance as requested. • Weekly Eyewash Station Check sheet • Emergency Eyewash Guidance Document Inspections and Testing Emergency eyewash stations must be flushed by the manager of the area or their designee on a weekly basis following the steps on the bottom of the Weekly Eyewash Station Flush sheet Equipment will be inspected and a flow test performed every six (6) months (twice annually) by EHS WEEKLY FLUSH STEPS • Ensure it is easily identifiable and unobstructed. • Ensure it activates easily with one-handed control, the flow removes eyepiece covers, and water flows evenly and in a steady stream • Allow it to run for 1-3 minutes to flush stagnant water from the line - if this is your first time flushing the station, you may have to run it longer to ensure the water is clean • If yours does not have a drain, ensure you use a bucket to capture the water • Complete an online service request for any water flow or unit deficiencies. Guidance and Instructions When performing a weekly eyewash flush, check the following: ►Access and signage: Ensure that the eyewash station is easily identifiable and unobstructed. Carts, chairs, glassware and equipment can all obstruct an eyewash station, which may slow the response in the event of an emergency. If you have to use an eyewash station in an emergency you won’t be able to see very well! ►Operation: Ensure that the eyewash station activates easily with one-handed control, the flow removes eyepiece covers, and water flows evenly and in a steady stream. ►Water: Allow the eyewash station to run for 1-3 minutes to flush stagnant water from the line. If this is your first time flushing the station, you may have to run it longer to ensure that the water is clean.