SAFETY IN MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY

 

Safety precautions in the microbiology laboratory:

Specific instructions that should be followed in the microbiology laboratory:

1. If you have any Illness, should share with your lab instructor.
2. Wear gloves when working with cultures, and when your work is completed, dispose of the gloves in the biohazard garbage. Lab coats, safety glasses or goggles are also required. 
3. Disinfect the work area both BEFORE and AFTER working with bacterial cultures.
4. Cultures of live microorganisms and any material coming in contact with live cultures must be properly sterilized after use in the laboratory.

5.      Glassware such as test tubes, bottles, and flasks may be reused and washed after sterilization. These are normally placed on a cart at the front of the laboratory after you have finished an experiment or exercise. BE SURE TO REMOVE LABELS before placing any glassware on the cart.

6.      Materials, such as plastic petri dishes, plastic pipettes, microscope slides,
and swabs, are considered disposable. These are used once and if they become
contaminated by contact with live microorganisms are sterilized and discarded.
All of these disposable contaminated materials should be placed in the designated
waste container containing a BIOHAZARD autoclave bag.

7.      Never place contaminated pipette tips (or pipettes), inoculating loop, or any other contaminated material on the bench top.

8.      Sterilize loops before and after each use. Do not place or put anything containing live microorganisms in the sink.

9.      Aerosols should be avoided by the use of proper technique for sterilizing the inoculating loops and by performing any mixing of cultures and reagents in such a way as to avoid splashing.

10.  Cultures or reagents should always be transferred with an automatic pipettor that will be provided. In no case should one employ mouth pipetting.

11.  Always keep cultures capped and in proper storage racks when not being used during an exercise.

12.  In case of an accidental spill of a bacterial culture, completely saturate the spill area with disinfectant, then cover with paper towels and allow the spill to sit for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the saturated paper towels, dispose of them in the biohazard waste, and clean the area again with disinfectant.

13.  All accidents and incidents shall be reported and documented such as spills, cuts, burns, or other injuries to the instructor

14.  Make sure that lab benches are completely cleared before you leave the lab.

15.  Clean and washed Clothing worn in the microbiology laboratory.

 

BIOHAZARD SYMBOL