Handbook of Laboratory Health and Safety

Measures

This Handbook is dedicated to those who work in laboratories

Handbook of Laboratory Health

and Safety Measures

Edited by

S. B. Pal Universitat Ulm

Department fUr Innere Medizin 0-7900 UlmlDonau

Federal Republic of Germany

~ MTP PRESS LIMITED ~ a member of the KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP

v LANCASTER / BOSTON / THE HAGUE / DORDRECHT

Published in the UK and Europe by MTP Press Limited

Falcon House Lancaster, England

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Handbook of laboratory health and safety measures. I. Laboratories-Safety measures I. Pal, S. B. 363.1' 1 QI83.AI

ISBN 978-94-0 I 0-9365-1 ISBN 978-94-0 I 0-9363-7 (eBook) DO[ 10.1007/978-94-0 I 0-9363-7

Published in the USA by MTP Press

A division of Kluwer Boston Inc 190 Old Derby Street

Hingham, MA 02043, USA

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Handbook of laboratory health and safety measures.

Includes bibliographies and index. 1. Biological laboratories-Safety measures-Handbooks,

manuals, etc. 2. Medical laboratories-Safety measures-Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Pal, S. B., 1928-[DNLM: 1. Accident Prevention. 2. Accidents, Occupational -prevention & control. 3. Equipment Safety. 4. Laboratories-standards. 5. Laboratory Infection­prevention & control. 6. Radiation Protection. WA 485 H2355] QH323.2.H36 1985 574'.028'9 85-5038

ISBN 978-94-010-9365-1

Copyright© 1985 MTP Press Limited Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1985 All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers.

Typesetting by Georgia Origination, Liverpool.

Contents

Preface

List of Contributors

Notes on Contributors

1. Organizing the Design of a Safe Laboratory l.R. Robb

2. Electrical Safety Measures and Standards for Laboratory Facilities and Equipment in Hospitals and Laboratories

vii

ix

xiii

E. l. Slater and D. Whe/pton 11

3. Design of Mechanical Equipment for Laboratory Staff and Patient Safety P. Bowker 37

4. Handling of Laboratory Animals, including Non-Human Primates T. Pendry 43

5. Health Care of Laboratory Personnel A.E. Wright 61

6. Responsibilities of the Chief for Health and Safety in the Laboratory I. D. Montoya 79

7. Health and Safety Hazards and Precautions in Chemical Laboratories -O. E. Chivers 87

8. Safety Measures to be taken in a Haematological Laboratory W. L. Ruff 121

v

CONTENTS

9. Health Hazards in Microbiology C. H. Collins 137

10. Safety Measures in a Clinical Chemistry Laboratory J.B. Smith 161

11. Safety Precautions in a Clinical Cytogenetics Laboratory Denise Heaton and Barbara Czepulkowski 183

12. X-Ray Hazards - Diagnostic and Therapeutic R. G. Putney and N. W. Garvie 207

13. Radiation Protection in Radionuclide Investigations D. M. Taylor 235

14. Ultraviolet Radiation Safety B. L. Diffey 255

15. Uses of Ultrasound and their Hazards A. R. Williams 299

16. Safety Aspects of Laboratory and Clinical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Fields Margaret A. Foster 327

17. Laser Safety A. L. McKenzie 345

18. Safety Measures to be taken when moving to a New Laboratory, W. E. Green and D. Donaldson 363

Index 383

Editor's note: A chapter on the hazards of using microwaves will be included in the next edition of this book.

vi

Preface

During the past two decades, many books, governmental reports and regulations on safety measures against chemicals, fire, microbiological and radioactive hazards in laboratories have been published from various countries. These topics have also been briefly discussed in books on laboratory planning and management. The application of various scientific instruments based on different ionizing and non-ionizing radiations have brought new safety problems to the laboratory workers of today, irrespective of their scientific disciplines, be they in medicine, natural or life sciences. However, no comprehensive laboratory handbook dealing with all these hazards, some of which are recently introduced, has so far been available in a single volume. Therefore, it was thought worthwhile to publish this handbook on safety and health measures for laboratories, with contributions from several experts on these subjects. As this is a multi-author volume, some duplication in content among the chapters is unavoidable in order to maintain the context of a chapter as well as to make each chapter complete. An attempt has also been made to maintain the central theme, which is how to work in a laboratory with maximum possible environmental safety. I am indebted to Mr D. G. T. Bloomer of MTP Press Limited, who has undertaken the publication of this volume and to Mrs M. R. Lingard-Pal, for acting as an honorary editorial assistant.

vii

S.B.PAL 1985

List of Contributors

Numbers in parentheses indicate the page on which the authors' articles begin

P.BOWKER University of Salford Department of Orthopaedic

Mechanics Salford M5 4WT UK (37).

G.E. CHIVERS Centre for Extension Studies University of Technology Loughborough Leicestershire LEI I 3TU UK (87).

C. H. COLLINS The Ashes Hadlow Kent TNII OAS UK (137).

BARBARA CZEPULKOWSKI Cytogenetics Unit Department of Pathology St Mary's Hospital Medical School London W2 IPG UK (183).

B.L. DIFFEY Regional Medical Physics

Department Dryburn Hospital Durham DHI 5TW UK (255).

D.DONALDSON East Surrey Health Authority East Surrey Hospital Three Arch Road Redhill Surrey RHI 5RH UK (363).

MARGARET A. FOSTER Department of Biomedical Physics

and Bio-Engineering University of Aberdeen Foresterhill Aberdeen AB9 2ZD UK (327).

N.W. GARVIE Department of Radiology and

Nuclear Medicine The London Hospital Whitechapel London EIlBB UK (207).

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HANDBOOK OF LABORATORY HEALTH AND SAFETY

W.E. GREEN East Surrey Health Authority East Surrey Hospital Three Arch Road Redhill Surrey RH1 5RH UK (363).

DENISE HEATON Cytogenetics Unit Department of Pathology St Mary's Hospital Medical School London W2 1PG UK (183).

A. L. McKENZIE Medical Physics Department Royal South Hants Hospital Graham Road Southampton S09 4PE UK (345).

I. D. MONTOYA Affiliated Systems Corporation 701 Bering 1901 Houston Texas 77057 USA (79).

T. PENDRY MRC Experimental Embryology and

Tiratology Unit Medical Research Council

Laboratories Woodmansterne Road Carshalton Surrey SM5 4EF UK (43).

R.G. PUTNEY Department of Radiology and

Nuclear Medicine The London Hospital Whitechapel London E1 lBB UK (207).

x

1.R. ROBB 7520, Hornwood #608 Houston Texas 77036 USA (1).

W.L. RUFF Clinical Laboratories Howard University Hospital 2041 Georgia Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20060 USA (121).

E.l. SLATER Department of Medical Physics City Hospital Hucknall Road Nottingham NG5 1PD UK (11).

1.H. SMITH Clinical Chemistry Department The General Hospital Steelhouse Lane Birmingham B4 6NH UK (161).

D.M. TAYLOR Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe Institut fUr Genetik und Toxikologie Postfach 3640 7500 Karlsruhe 1 Federal Republic of Germany (235).

D. WHELPTON Medical Physics and Bio-Engineering

Department Medical School Queen's Medical Centre Nottingham NG7 2UH UK (11).

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

A. R. WILLIAMS Department of Medical Biophysics University of Manchester Stopford Building Oxford Road Manchester M 13 9PT UK (299).

xi

A.E. WRIGHT Public Health Laboratory Newcastle General Hospital Westgate Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE UK (61).

Notes on Contributors

DrP. Bowker, CEng, MIMechE, was born in Lancaster, England, in 1946. He did his basic industrial training at AEI Ltd., and obtained his BSc in mechanical engineering (1967) and PhD in engineering metallurgy (1970) from the University of Salford. He has worked as Senior Research Associate in the Departments of Metallurgy and Engineering Materials, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and as a Lecturer in the Department of Bio-Medical Physics and Bio-Engineering, University of Aberdeen. His present appoint­ment is as a Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedic Mechanics, University of Salford. He has 16 publications to his credit, including chapters in 2 books.

Dr G. E. Chivers was born in St Albans, England, in 1943. He was an under­graduate and research student at Birmingham University from 1962 to 1968 during which time he qualified for a BSc (Hons) in chemistry and a PhD in organic chemistry. He spent one year as Research Fellow in chemistry at Toronto University, Canada, and one year as Research Fellow in organic chemistry at Salford University. This WQS followed by an appointment as Lecturer in organic chemistry at Hatfield Polytechnic. Dr Chivers is at present appointed as Senior Tutor in the Centre for Extension Studies, Loughborough University of Technology, and is responsible for the organisation of post-experience short courses on occupational health and safety, risk management and industrial pollution control, and for the University Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Management. He organises short courses on laboratory health and safety, trains internal staff in this area and acts as a consultant on health and safety in industrial and public sector laboratories. He has 4 publications on health and safety aspects in the laboratory, including chapters in 2 books.

Mr C. H. Collins, MPhll, FRCPath, FIBiol, MBE, was born in Luton, England, in 1919 and trained as a bacteriologist with the UK Public Health Laboratory Service. He became involved in microbiological hazard investigations in the 1950's as a result of work with aerosol production from liquid cultures of tubercle bacilli and the design of microbiological safety cabinets. Mr Collins' present appointment is as Senior Technical Officer,

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HANDBOOK OF LABORATORY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Regional Centre for Tuberculosis Bacteriology, Public Health Laboratory, Dulwich Hospital, London and Visiting Research Fellow, Microbiological Department, Cardiothoracic Institute (University of London), Brompton Hospital, London. He is an Advisor to the World Health Organisation's Special Programme on Safety Measures in Microbiology and a Member and Secretary to two other learned bodies in the UK, has travelled widely in Europe, India, New Zealand and the United States, studying and lecturing on microbiological hazards and tuberculosis bacteriology and has a number of important publications.

Ms Barbara, Helen Czepuikowski, born in Ashton-under-Lyne, England in 1957, graduated from the University of Manchester in 1978 with a BSc (Hons) degree in genetics and cell biology. She worked as a Basic Grade Scientific Officer, Cytogenetics Department, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital for 4 years and is now a Research Assistant in the Cytogenetics Unit, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, which provides a diagnostic cytogenetic service to the NW Thames Region and also has a major research interest in the field of antenatal diagnosis. Her present duties include research on the first trimester prenatal diagnosis of chromosome defects and inborn errors of metabolism from chorionic villus biopsy and she is also fully involved in the diagnostic work of the laboratory and the Medical School teaching programme for medical students on the paediatric course, and students in the pre-clinical year. She has 7 publications to her credit.

Dr B. L. Diffey, born in Bedlinog, South Wales, UK in 1948, graduated with a BSc (1st Class Hons) in mathematics and physics and an AKC in theology in 1969, and obtained a PhD in physics in 1973, all from the University of London. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 1983. He first worked as a Basic Grade and Senior Grade Physicist at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury and is presently appointed as. a Principal Grade Physicist, Northern Regional Medical Physics Department and Head of Durham Medical Physics Unit, Dryburn Hospital, Durham. Dr Diffey's special interests aie concerned with the applications of ultra­violet radiation in medicine, an area in which he has made extensive contributions to the medical and scientific literature. He also provides an investigative service for patients who have skin diseases which are induced or aggravated by sunlight. A total of 141 papers have been either published in the medical and scientific literature or presented at conferences and he has also written a book entitled "Ultraviolet Radiation in Medicine" published by Adam Hilger Limited (1982).

Dr D Donaldson, MBChB, MRCP, FRC Path, was born in Birmingham, England, in 1936. He graduated in medicine and surgery from the University of Birmingham in 1959, and, after various hospital appointments, worked as a Lecturer in the Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Hospital for Nervous Diseases, London. His present appointment is as a Consultant Chemical Pathologist at the East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, Surrey. He has 37 publications, 2 chapters in books and has published one book, jointly with P. T. Lascelles, entitled "Essential Diagnostic Tests", Medical and Technical Publishing Company Ltd. (1970).

xiv

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

Dr Margaret Ann Hutchison (nee Foster), was born in Doncaster, England, in 1940 and obtained a BSc (Hons) from Durham University in 1962, an MSc from St Andrews University in 1968 and a PhD from Aberdeen University in 1978. She was a research student at the Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, Research Associate in the Depart­ment of Biological Sciences, University of Lancaster and Research Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Physics and Bioengineering, University of Aberdeen, in which department she is currently appointed as a Lecturer. She is also an Honorary Senior Physicist to the Grampian Health Board, Aberdeen, and has many publications including a book "Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology" published by Pergamon Press in 1984.

Dr N. W. Garvie, MA, MSc, DMRD, MRCP, FRCR, was born in Woking, England, in 1948, trained at Cambridge University and The London Hospital Medical College, graduating in 1972. After training as a Radiologist in Southampton, he held Senior Registrar appointments in Nuclear Medicine at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, The Wessex Regional Department of Nuclear Medicine, Southampton and at the University Clinic, Ulm, West Gennany. He is currently Consultant Radiolo­gist at The London Hospital, London, England. His research interests include isotope bone and cardiac imaging.

Mr W.E. Green, born in Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, in 1923, is a Fellow of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences. He trained at the Royal Air Force Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine and at the Department of Pathology, Leicester General Hospital, England. He was appointed to the Royal Air Force Mobile Field Hospitals and General Hospitals in England, Yugoslavia, Algeria and Egypt (1942-1947), was Senior Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, Leicester General Hospital, Senior Chief Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, Department of Pathology, Redhill General Hosptial, and Principal Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, District Pathology Service, East Surrey Health Authority. Other appoint­ments include Lecturer in Haematology and Blood Transfusion and Secretary to the Academic Board for IMLS subjects at the Leicester College of Technology and Commerce, Lecturer in Haematology and Blood Transfusion at the Crawley College of Further Education and Examiner in Haematology and Blood Transfusion for the Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences. His present appointment is as Principal Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer in technical and administrative charge of all staff working in the District Pathology Service, East Surrey Health Authority and he is responsible for the co-ordination of Laboratory Health and Safety in all departments.

Dr Denise, Eleanor Heaton (nee Rooney), was born in Romford, Essex, England, in 1954 and, after qualifying for BSc (Hons) in genetics and cell biology at the University of Manchester in 1975, she obtained a PhD degree from the University of Liverpool in 1982. She was appointed Basic Grade Scientific Officer, Cytogenetics Department, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, and acted as Safety Officer for the Department. Her present appointment is as Senior Scientific Officer, Cytogenetics Unit, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, where the laboratory provides a

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HANDBOOK OF LABORATORY HEALTH AND SAFETY

routine diagnostic service to the NW Thames Region and also has major research interests in the field of antenatal diagnosis. Specific duties include day to day charge of routine laboratory work with responsibility for reporting, training and supervision of staff, and participation in research programme on first trimester prenatal diagnosis from trophoblast tissue. In addition, Dr Heaton lectures to medical students on the paediatric course and supervises practical classes for students in the pre-clinical year. She has published 17 papers to date.

Dr A. L. McKenzie, who was born in Wick, Scotland, in 1949, qualified for a BSc degree from Aberdeen University and a PhD degree from St Andrews University. He worked on laser research at St Andrews University and is currently Principal Physicist in Radiotherapy, Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton, Safety Representative to the British Medical Laser Association and Laser Safety Officer for Hospitals in the Southampton district. He has published 13 papers on Lasers and several others on Radio­therapy, Urology and Computing.

Dr I. D. Montoya was born in Espanola, New Mexico, USA in 1950 and graduated from New Mexico State University. He trained at the Memorial General Hospital, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is presently appointed as President of the Affiliated Systems Corporation, Houston, Texas, and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. Dr Montoya has published 5 papers to date.

Mr T. Pendry was born at Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1932. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Animal Technicians (FIAT) and Associate of the Institute of Science Technology (AIST). He has worked as Head Technician in a Biological Research Department (in the Pharmaceutical Industry) and as Senior Chief Animal Technician in the UK MRC Laboratory Animals Centre. He is currently appointed as Senior Chief Technician in the MRC Experimental Embryology and Teratology Unit, Carshalton, Surrey. Administrative duties include matters relating to animal house safety.

Mr R. Putney was born in London, England in 1947, where he graduated with the Master of Science degree from London University in 1974. Since then he has worked in medical physics, initially in radiotherapy and sub­sequently in diagnostic radiology, particularly in the field of radiation protection. His present post is as a Principal Grade Physicist to the London Hospital and he also provides support in the development of physics services throughout the district.

Mr J.R. Robb, born in Houston, Texas, USA in 1950, qualified as a Bachelor of Architecture from Tulane University in 1974. In 1976 he obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. He is a Registered Architect and Member of the American Institute of Architects. Initially, Mr Robb began his career as a medical equipment planner and he practised as a Health Care Facility Analyst and Planner for 10 years. Currently, he is a Consultant who administers the facilities planning and construction activities for an affiliated hospital system.

xvi

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

Dr W. L. Ruff, born in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, in 1938, received a BS in chemistry from Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, in 1960 and, subsequently, a PhD in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970. After graduate school, he served as a Senior Fellow in Clinical Chemistry at the University of Washington Hospital and Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. He holds a Diploma from the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. Dr Ruff is currently Associate Director of Clinical Laboratories, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC. He is also an Associate Professor of Pathology in the Howard University College of Medicine as well as being Safety Officer and Chairman of the Howard University Hospital Clinical Laboratories Safety Committee and member of the Howard University Hospital Safety Committee. For the past four years, he has been the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's (AACC) representative on the National Fire Protection Association (NFP A) Technical Committee 56 C which writes the "Safety Standard for Laboratories in Health-Related Institutions". He has been a member of the AACC Safe Laboratory Practices Committee for eight years and has presented round table discussions on laboratory safety, participated in safety workshops and published articles on safety. He is also a member of the Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society.

Dr E.J. Slater, CEng, MIERE, MIEE, who was born in Walsall, England in 1954, read electrical and electronic engineering at Nottingham University where he obtained a BSc degree with first class honours and subsequently a PhD for work on a blind mobility aid. He was registered as a Chartered Engineer in 1982. Currently, he is a Senior Medical Physicist in a large teaching hospital in Nottingham where he has responsibility for all aspects of electrical safety in laboratory and medical equipment. He has a number of publications in the field of medical electronics.

Mr J. H. Smith was born in Burton-upon-Trent in December 1941. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences and worked for five years in the four major disciplines of pathology before specialising in clinical chemistry. He joined the Department of Clinical Chemistry at Birmingham General Hospital and was appointed Senior Chief MLSO in 1974. He is a part-time Lecturer and Examiner for the Fellowship Examination and his responsibilities include the position of Safety Officer, co-ordination of quality control and a special interest in analyses performed in ward areas. He has published 2 papers and a series of articles associated with reflectance meter performance.

Professor D. M. Taylor, BSe (Liverpool), PhD (London), DSc (Liverpool), CChem, FRSC, MRCPath, was born in London, England in 1927. An initial training in biochemistry was followed by thirty years of research mainly in the fields of radiation biochemistry, radiotoxicology and pathology. Formerly Senior Lecturer in Radiation Biochemistry and Head of the Radiopharmacology Department, Institute of Cancer Research, University of London, since 1979 he has held the posts of Professor of Radiotoxicology at the University of Heidelberg and Director, Institute for Genetics and Toxicology, Kernforschungszentrum, Karlsruhe, Federal

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HANDBOOK OF LABORATORY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Republic of Germany. Professor Taylor has had many years of experience as Radiation Safety Officer and as a member, or former member, of a number of local, national or international advisory committees in the field of radiation protection. He has more than 150 publications in scientific literature in the fields of biochemistry, radiation biology, cancer chemo­therapy and radiotoxicology.

Dr D. Whelpton was born in Sheffield, England in 1938, where he obtained a BSc in physics and subsequently a PhD in medical electronics. He was employed in Sheffield and at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, before moving to The Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, where he is now working. He currently serves on the UK committee for the safety of general medical electrical equipment and has a number of publications concerned with electrical safety as well as many other aspects of medical physics.

Dr A. R. Williams, born in Cardiff, Wales, UK, in 1944, obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in biochemistry, ancillary subj€<cts being chemistry and physiology, from the University College of South Wales and Monmouth­shire, Cardiff, Wales. He then held the post of Research Biochemist at the Velindre Memorial Hospital for Cancer Research, Cardiff, during which period he completed an MSc thesis. He was then appointed Research Associate at the Department of Microbiology, University College, Cardiff, and, whilst there, obtained a PhD degree with a thesis related to the biological effects of ultrasonic irradiation. His next appointment was as Lecturer in Biophysics at the Department of Anatomy, University of Manchester, followed by a year as a Visiting Scientist at the United States Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC where his duties were to assist the Bureau of Radiological Health in their ultrasound bio-hazards research programme and to help draft the performance standard for medical instrumentation emitting ultrasonic radiation. Dr Williams at present occupies the position of Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Manchester. In addition to this full-time post, he has been appointed Visiting Professor of Biophysics at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Visiting Professor of Physics at the Department of Physics, University of Vermont, for the duration of their periods of active collabora­tion. He is a founder member of the European Committee for Ultrasound Radiation Safety and is currently compiling and editing an Environmental Health Criteria Document on Ultrasound for the World Health Organisation. He has also written a book on this topic which will be published by Academic Press and has a further 60 publications to his credit.

Dr A. E. Wright was born in Darlington, Co Durham, England in 1923, and qualified in medicine at Durham University in 1948, taking the DPH in 1954 and the MD in 1957. He trained as a Microbiologist with the Public Health Laboratory Service, taking the Dip Bact at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1958. He is presently Director of the Newcastle upon Tyne Regional Public Health Laboratory, Chairman of the PHLS Safety Committee and Member of the Safety Committee of the Association of Medical Microbiologists as well as Temporary Consultant to WHO on a number of technical committees on safety in laboratories. Dr Wright is the author of a number of articles and chapters on aspects of safety in the laboratory and the environment.

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