Biological Agents, Biosafety cabinets and Beyond

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Biological Agents, Biosafety cabinets and Beyond

• Microbiology laboratory
• 2005

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Objectives

• Why is Biosafety Important?
• How can we protect ourselves?

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Scientists scramble to destroy flu strain
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How do lab acquired infections occur?

• Actual source can be defined for 20 cases
• Percutaneous
• Needles, glass
• Mucocutaneous
• Contact between eyes, nose contaminated
  material (hands or surfaces)
• Inhalation
• aerosols
• Ingestion

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Laboratory acquired infections HOW BAD ARE THEY?

• Lab acquired infections 1979-1999
• 9 deaths
• N. menigitiditis, Salmonella, Brucella
• Estimates 1-5 infections/1000 lab workers/yr
• 2/3 lab acquired infections from direct work with
  agent

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Laboratory acquired infections How can we
prevent them?
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Joint Health and Safety Committee

• To identify sources of danger or hazards through
  workplace inspections
• To make written recommendations for improvements
  to the employer
• To participate in the investigation of accidents
  and incidents

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Cycle of Transmission
Host
Immunization/ surveillance
BSC/PPE
Transmission
Source/Reservoir
Practises/ Equipment
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Day in the life of a Micro techContainment
level 2

• What are the hazards?
• Where are the hazards?
• How protect self?

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Arrival to lab

• What are the hazards?
• Where are the hazards?
• How protect yourself?

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Processing the specimens
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What are the hazards? Where are the hazards? How
protect yourself?
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Barrier Techniques PPE

• Selection of barriers/PPE in microbiology
  laboratory based on assessment of risk
• -type of contact
• -degree of contamination
• -likelihood of splash or spray
• -difficulty of the procedure and experience
  of the lab tech

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What are the hazards? Where are the hazards? How
protect yourself?
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What are the hazards? Where are the hazards? How
protect yourself?
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When do you wear gloves?

• Gloves must be worn for all procedures that
  might involve direct skin contact with
  biohazardous material or infected animals
  (Health Canada)
• Appropriate gloves for all procedures that may
  involve direct or accidental contact with blood,
  infectious materials or infected animals (WHO)

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Eye protection
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Safety practices
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Handwashing
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Hospital wide Hand washing compliance
52
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350/668
580/1645
236/719
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Handwashing compliance
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Why so low? HCW perspective

• Lack of Time
• Lack of or poor placement of equipment
• The Glove Fallacy
• Fear of skin problems
• Lack of role model

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Alcohol based hand rubs

• Alcohol-based hand rubs should be used to
  decontaminate lightly soiled hands when proper
  hand washing is not available or not convenient
  (WHO recommendations)

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Hand Lotion

• Use at breaks, lunch and after washing hands in
  washroom
• Compatible with the hospital hand washing
  products
• frequent use of lotion led to a 50 increase in 
  how often HCW's washed their hands!

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Waste
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Where does the garbage go?
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Safe handling of needles
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Standard Microbiological practices

• Wash hands
• Minimize splashes aerosols
• Use biosafety cabinets for working with
  infectious agents involving aerosols/splashes,
  large volumes or high concentrations
• Decontaminate work surfaces daily
• Decontaminate waste
• Handle sharps safely

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Laboratory acquired infections CAN THEY BE
PREVENTED?YES!

• Key to prevention of laboratory acquired
  infections is a safety conscious staff , who are
  well informed about the recognition and control
  of laboratory hazards

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Protect Yourself

• Ensure your vaccinations are up to date
• Stay home when ill
• Using ROUTINE Practices (BSP) for all patient
  specimens
• Recognize when ADDITIONAL barriers/PPE are
  warranted
• WASH YOUR HANDS !!
• Recognize and REPORT potential problems

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Infection Control Team
Darlene Cann
Wayne Lee
Allison McGeer
Erin Churchill
Colleen Silver
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Infection control education

• http//info/microbiology/educationregistration/