ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY SAFETY PROCEDURES

Adherence to laboratory safety procedures not only minimizes the risk of infections in the laboratory, it is also the students’ training for minimizing the transmission of nosocomial infections in their future work environments. These procedures should be read to the students at the beginning of each semester and also posted in the laboratory. A student acknowledgement follows this form.

1. Locate exits, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, chemical shower, eyewash station, and cleanup materials for spills.
2. Eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum, storing food, and applying cosmetics are not permitted in the laboratory.
3. Students who are pregnant, taking immunosuppresive drugs, or have any other medical condition (i.e. diabetes, immunological defect) that might necessitate special precautions in the laboratory must inform the instructor immediately.
4. Long hair, loose clothing, dangling jewelry and open-toed shoes should be restrained.
5. Work surfaces must be decontaminated using a commercially prepared disinfectant solution at the beginning and end of every laboratory period. Hot soapy water or disinfectant is recommended for cleanup after laboratories involving dissection of preserved material.
6. To help avoid spills, liquids should be kept away from the edge of lab benches. Any spill of viable material must be decontaminated using a commercially prepared disinfectant.
7. Properly label glassware and slides.
8. Disposable materials such as gloves, mouthpieces, swabs, plasticware and toothpicks that come into contact with body fluids or preserved materials should be placed in the biohazard bag.
9. Scientific equipment that has come into contact with preserved material or body fluids should be cleaned and disinfected.

10. Disposable gloves must be worn for touching preserved materials, blood and other body fluids and for handling items or surfaces soiled with blood or other body fluids. Gloves must be changed between procedures. Hands should be washed immediately after gloves have been removed. (Open cuts and scrapes should be covered by a sterile bandage before donning gloves.)

11. Report all spills or accidents, no matter how minor, to the instructor.

12. Children are not permitted in the laboratory. Adult guests are allowed only with the permission of the instructor.

13. Wash hands and remove any protective clothing before leaving the laboratory.

LABORATORY SAFETY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

I hereby certify that I have read the safety recommendations provided for the laboratory and have located all the safety equipment listed in these procedures.

Student’s Signature __________________________ Date ________

Student’s Name (Print) ________________________

Name of Course ________________       CRN _______________

Instructor’s Name ____________________________