Laboratory Safety

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Hazard Assessment and Certification Standards

Although established and recognized laboratory certification standards have yet to be developed, our team can evaluate your laboratory practices and facility as it relates to compliance with the BMBL, NIH, WHO, and other applicable Guidelines.

This assessment will provide recommendations to facilitate compliance with these guidelines and other industry standards, either prior to, during, or after construction.

Laboratory Training

Many laboratories contain significant risks, and the prevention of laboratory accidents requires great care and constant vigilance. Examples of risk factors include high voltages, high and low pressures and temperatures, corrosive and toxic chemicals, and biohazards including infective organisms and their toxins.

Measures to protect against laboratory accidents include safety training and enforcement of laboratory safety policies, safety review of experimental designs, the use of personal protective equipment, and the use of the buddy system for particularly risky operations.

In many countries, laboratory work is subject by health and safety legislation. In some cases, laboratory activities can also present environmental health risks, for example, the accidental or deliberate discharge of toxic or infective material from the laboratory into the environment.

EHS Consultancy Ltd has published a comprehensive training guide for new staff and students in Health, Universities, and Research Institutions.

Lab safety handbook

Handbook in Review

This is a comprehensive 2nd Edition training guide for new staff and students in Health, Universities, and Research Institutions.

About this Handbook

This manual provides practical guidance on Safety Practices for use at all levels, from basic laboratories in Universities, Training Colleges, Hospitals and Research Institutions to maximum containment laboratories that regularly handle hazardous materials. It is prepared primarily as a training guide for those who work in these institutions on the use of chemicals, pathogens, equipment facilities and animals in laboratories. It is also intended for personnel ranging from researchers, students to a broad array of technicians. A wider audience of administrative, environmental health and safety officers in these institutions, governmental and other applicable agencies is also envisioned.

KEY FEATURES

♦  General principles and management of laboratory safety
♦  Biosafety criteria in vertebrate, invertebrate, tissue culture facilities
♦  Facilities and general safety equipment
♦  Chemical and radiation safety
♦  Fire safety and prevention
♦  Hazardous waste management and environmental protection
♦  Emergency responses and spill control
♦  Principles of risk assessment and methodologies
♦  Developing an effective safety programme
♦  Laboratory security