Biological Lab Handbook

Good laboratory practice (GLP) and hygiene standards shall be adhered to in biological labs at all times, including:

• Safety glasses, protective gloves and lab coat with overlapping front, tight cuffs shall be worn.

• Additional personal protective equipment shall be worn as directed by signage or risk assessment (e.g. face shield shall be worn for splash risks).
• Prescription safety glasses, or over-specs shall be worn by spectacle wearers. 
• Prescription safety glasses, free from contamination, can be worn outside the lab.
• Other PPE shall be removed before leaving lab and suitably stored / laundered / disposed of, as appropriate.
• Glass pipettes and sharps must not be used unless there is no suitable plastic alternative.
• Used glass / plastic ware must be rinsed before being put to wash. Refer to COSHH assessments for disposal of rinses.
• No mouth pipetting, eating, chewing, drinking, smoking/vaping, storing food and medicines, applying cosmetics etc.
• Hands shall be washed with soap and running water before leaving the laboratory and when contamination is suspected.
• Do not handle contact lenses (unless in emergency).
• Long hair shall be tied back.
• Loose clothing and dangling jewellery items shall be removed / tied / covered.
• Cuts and sores shall be covered with suitable dressing (e.g. plaster).
• Footwear shall be sturdy, closed toe, cover top of foot, and protect from chemical splashes.  Ballet pumps, flip-flops, sandals, and similar are prohibited.
• Mobile phones shall not be used / handled to limit potential contamination spread. 
• Personal items (coats, bags, etc) shall not be taken into labs.
• Operatives shall have suitable skills, knowledge and experience for the designated activities.
• High standards of cleanliness and housekeeping shall be maintained at all times. Benches must be cleaned and disinfected after each work activity and at the end of day.
• Equipment manuals and the instructions of the lab manager / supervisor shall be followed. 
• All incidents and any breakages shall be reported to the lab manager / supervisor / local contact.
• Workplace and environmental exposure to any biological material should be kept to the lowest reasonably practicable level.

Biological Materials

All biological work must be risk assessed and approved by an appropriate person and Biological Safety Officer (BSO) before the work starts. For Users, this can generally be covered in the experimental risk assessment and lab assessment forms.

All biological material being transferred between laboratories must be carried within a secondary container. The outer container must be decontaminated before leaving the laboratory. Therefore, no gloves must be worn outside of the laboratories.

All vessels containing substances must be clearly labelled at all times with contents, date and owner. Where possible, plastic storage containers should be used in preference to glass ones.

Aerosol production should be minimised and where an aerosol risk has been assessed by risk assessment, all work with HG2 agents shall be carried out in a Microbiological Safety Cabinet (MSC)

Storage of Biological Material

All biological material must be stored such that their containment cannot be breached. The containers should be labelled, leak-proof and their outer surfaces cleaned and/or decontaminated.

Refrigerators and freezers in which biological materials are kept must be labelled with biohazard labels.

An up-to-date inventory shall be maintained. A list, with references to the location of hazardous biological material in fridges and freezers, should be held in the laboratory.

If moving or transporting biological material on site, adequate precautions must be taken to minimize the risk of leakage and spillage. If there is a requirement to transport hazardous materials to or from site, contact the local Health and Safety department.

Hazardous Substances

All processes using or generating hazardous substances require a COSHH assessment prior to starting the work.  For Users, this can generally be covered in the experimental risk assessment and lab assessment forms.

Storage of hazardous or dangerous substances must be in accordance with the hazard classes and the compatibility of classes. 

Lab Equipment General Considerations

• Only use equipment which you are authorised and trained to use.  Only use equipment as the manufacturer intended.
• Make sure that use of the equipment has been risk assessed and that you understand the controls to ensure safe operation and the required action in case of emergency.
• Visually inspect all equipment before use – check for obvious damage including to power leads.  Do not use equipment which is faulty or unsafe – report defects to the lab manager / local contact.

Fire Prevention and Precautions

• Quantities of flammable substances in-use shall be minimised as low as possible.
• Store bulk reagents away from the lab in the external chemical store.
• Flammables and oxidising substances shall be segregated from each other and other substances and stored in metal chemical / flammables cabinets.
• Ensure appropriate spillage control measures are in place, e.g. secondary containment, spill trays or bunded cabinets.
• Control ignition sources; restrict naked flames; select hot plates and heating mantles as a safer alternative, keep flammable materials away when working with ignition sources.
• Minimise the amount of combustible materials (e.g. cardboard packaging) in the laboratory.
• Clean up spills of flammable substances immediately with suitable absorbent materials.  Ensure the correct storage and disposal of this collected waste.
• Ensure understanding of the compatibility of wastes with other substances.
• Ensure that you are aware of the locations of fire escape routes and extinguishers.

 Heat Sources

• Avoid the use of naked flames.  Use heating mantles or hotplates in preference.  Where heating e.g. round bottom flasks, the use of shaped metal heating blocks, water baths or sand baths are recommended.
• When using oil baths, an external thermocouple shall be used - hot plate shall not be left unattended or otherwise unsupervised.

Where furnaces are used, the following precautions must be taken:

• Use tools to remove hot items from the furnace.
• Wear suitable PPE when handling hot items, e.g. heat resistant gloves.
• Use heat resistant mats for hot items.
• Maintain a clear area around the furnace to prevent fire.

Spillages

• The individual(s) who causes a biological spill is/are responsible for the ensuring the clean-up is completed promptly.
• Assistance should be sought from the Laboratory Manager for larger spills.
• Make sure that you have the appropriate spill kit, equipment and reagents to hand and that you know what to do with them.

Small Spill of Biological Material (<500ml) Outside of a MSC

• Wearing gloves cover the spill with paper towels and gently apply Virkon (or other suitable and effective disinfectant), proceeding from the outer edge of the spill to its centre, and leave in place for at least 30 minutes.
• Pick up the towels and discard into a biohazard container. Pick up any pieces of broken glass with forceps and place in a sharps container.
• Re-wipe spill area with disinfectant and thoroughly wash hands after glove removal.

Large Spill of Biological Material (>500ml) Outside of a MSC

• Leave the area immediately alerting others in area to do the same.
• Remove any contaminated clothing and put into a biohazard bag for later autoclaving.
• Wash hands and exposed skin and inform the Responsible person (e.g. PI/Supervisor/Laboratory Manager) of the spill.
• Isolate the room and warn others to stay out of the spill area; post a sign stating: "DO NOT ENTER, BIOHAZARD SPILL", contact (name and phone number) for information".
• Wait at least 30 minutes before re-entering contaminated area to allow aerosol dissipation.
• Put on protective clothing (lab coat, gloves, eye protection and, if indicated, suitable face mask and shoe covers) and assemble clean-up materials.
• Cover the spill with paper towels and gently apply Virkon powder (or other suitable disinfectant), proceeding from the outer edge of the spill to its centre. Leave in place for at least 30 minutes.
• Collect all treated material and discard in a biohazard container. Pick up any broken glass with forceps and place them into a sharps container.
• Re-wipe the spill area with disinfectant.
• Carry out final wipe down with 70% ethanol to remove corrosive Virkon traces.
• Wash hands thoroughly

Biological Spills inside a MSC

• LEAVE THE MSC TURNED ON
• With large biological spillages (>50 ml), or where liquid spills through the vents, leave the MSC running for at least 10 minutes before cleaning up the spillage with suitable disinfectant solution. Cleaning and decontamination of the spillage must include removal, cleaning and replacement of vents.
• With small biological spillages (<50ml), while wearing gloves, spray or wipe MSC walls, work surfaces, and equipment with disinfectant solution.
• Soak up disinfectant and spill with paper towels. Remove and clean underneath grills. Discard materials into biohazard container.
• Carry out a final wipe down with 70% ethanol in order to minimize the corrosive action of agents such as Virkon.
• Wash hands and any exposed surfaces thoroughly after the clean-up procedure.

Biological spillages in centrifuges and shaking incubators

• If a spillage is found once centrifuge/shaker door is opened, immediately close the centrifuge lid/shaker door with the samples remaining inside and turn the centrifuge/shaker off. If spillage suspected, do not open centrifuge lid/shaker door.
• It may be necessary to vacate the lab depending on the nature of the spilled material and its ability to generate an aerosol. If the lab needs to be vacated, secure the room such that others cannot gain access. Post signage indicating restricted entry.
• Notify Lab Manager, Principal investigators, supervisors and co-workers of the spillage as quickly as possible.
• Wait at least 30 minutes before entering the lab to allow aerosols to settle. Transfer intact centrifuge bottles/flasks to MSC and then treat as per spillages described above.
• Spillages must be reported to the responsible person(s) immediately and to the local Health & Safety Team in accordance with local reporting procedures (see section 4.18- Accidents and Incidents) as soon as possible.

Security

• Lab access is controlled by swipe access granted by the Diamond laboratory manager / supervisor / Local Contact.
• Do not allow other persons to enter the laboratory if they have not been authorised.  Do not loan others your access card to others allow them access.
• You are responsible for the safety of any person that you allow to enter the laboratory.