Safety and Infection Control
Standard precautions and bloodborne pathogens
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030 requires an exposure control plan, hepatitis B vaccination offered at no cost, PPE, engineering controls, and post-exposure evaluation. Treat all blood and body fluids as infectious. Wear gloves, gown, mask, and eye protection when splash is likely; perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact and after glove removal. Never recap, bend, or break needles; place sharps directly into a rigid container.
Chemical and physical safety
OSHA HazCom requires labels and safety data sheets (SDS) for hazardous chemicals. Know fire response: RACE (rescue, alarm, confine, extinguish/evacuate) and PASS (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep). For a blood spill, absorb, clean with detergent, then disinfect with a 1:10 dilution of 5.25% household bleach (about 0.5% sodium hypochlorite) or an approved disinfectant, allowing contact time.
Worked example
A technologist sustains a needlestick from a source patient known to be HIV positive. Wash the wound with soap and water, do not squeeze or milk it, and report immediately to the exposure hotline. The exposure report documents the device, source, and vaccination status; HIV post-exposure prophylaxis is time-sensitive and is started after risk assessment, often within hours. Confidentiality applies to the source and the exposed worker.
Traps
Alcohol-based hand rub does not reliably kill Clostridioides difficile spores; wash with soap and water. Do not use bleach at arbitrary strength or skip contact time. Food and drink are prohibited in the laboratory, and mouth pipetting is never acceptable. A spill kit is not optional, and a small drop is not a reason to skip reporting.