Job aid for the specific steps needed to safely attach the regulator to a compressed gas cylinder.

Useful resources to establish or strengthen biosafety practices in a clinical or public health laboratory.  

Biosafety Resources & Tools (cdc.gov)

This job aid details the use of standard precautions when cleaning up blood or other body fluids, including handwashing, rinsing of mucous membrane or eyes after exposure, treating skin punctures, and reporting exposure, as well as glove safety.

Compressed Gas Association Valve Outlet Listing

Job aid for the steps needed to safely check the compressed gas cylinder for leaks.

Checklist of activities/tasks needed to safely use biological safety cabinets.

This job aid contains personal safety work and general safety work practices for working in the Laboratory.

Donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment is essential to keeping laboratorians and the public safe from possible contamination. This video focuses on donning and doffing a laboratory coat, gloves, and safety glasses with wrap around sides.

This video demonstrates the donning and doffing of the following PPE: Gown, Gloves, Disposable Face Mask, and Face Shield. The doffing portion of this video demonstrates removing the gown and gloves.

This video demonstrates the donning and doffing of the following PPE: Gown, Gloves, Disposable Face Mask, and Face Shield. The doffing portion of this video demonstrates removing the gown and gloves.

This job aid introduces clinical and public health laboratory professionals to the hazards they may encounter while working in a clinical or public health laboratory, ways to mitigate risks, and the proper response to incidents.

This is a sample formaldehyde job hazard analysis that can be used to document the chemical’s hazards and controls by job step. It also contains information about emergency procedures, training, and review and monitoring.

Good Work Practices demonstrates the performance checks, the proper placement of equipment, and additional tasks needed to ensure a good performance of chemical fume hoods.

How Airflow is Affected demonstrates how airflow in a chemical fume hood can be interrupted, altered, and changed by different factors.

Some laboratory procedures require the use of compressed gas cylinders, and it’s important to learn how to safely and properly use them. This video takes you through the steps necessary for safely setting the compressed gas regulator, beginning with turning on the flow of gas from the cylinder to the regulator to controlling the pressure of the gas being delivered from the regulator to your laboratory equipment. Knowing how to properly set your regulator pressure will help maintain a safe working environment in the laboratory.

Knowing how to properly use compressed gas cylinders is essential for maintaining a safe laboratory. The regulator on a gas cylinder controls the flow and pressure of gas from the cylinder to your laboratory equipment. This training video shows a step-by-step tutorial for safely attaching a regulator to a compressed gas cylinder, including the proper tools and how to check for damage.

Checking your compressed gas cylinder for leaks will help keep your laboratory safe and will also help maintain accurate laboratory procedures. This training video shows how to use a bubble test to check for leaks and changes in gas pressure at both the inlet and outlet valves on the regulator. Regularly checking for leaks and keeping a record of these system checks helps maintain a safe working environment in the laboratory.

Incidents in the laboratory are situations in which an employee is injured or exposed to a pathogen. An incident without an injury is known as a near miss. To reduce risk, laboratories should put various safety controls in place, including the best practice of reporting all incidents. It’s important to report and record all incidents, even near misses, to ensure risks are minimized or properly assessed. In this video, a laboratory technician punctures their glove with a needle but doesn’t pierce their skin. Is this an event that should be reported?

A laboratory incident, such as a sharps injury, could cause an employee serious harm or exposure to a dangerous pathogen. A near miss is an incident that doesn’t result in an injury or exposure, it’s called a near miss. It’s important to report and record all incidents, even near misses, to ensure risks are properly assessed and mitigated. In this video, an animal researcher has a sharps incident during which they puncture their skin with a needle after removing the needle from a research animal. Is this considered an incident or a near miss? Should this situation be reported?

Biological, chemical, and physical hazards can put laboratory employees at risk for safety incidents that could injure themselves, fellow employees, the public, and the environment. To lower risk, each laboratory should promote a culture of safety in which laboratory safety issues are immediately addressed and consistently assessed. Laboratory employees should be trained in best practices that are outlined in the laboratory SOP and exposure control plan. These administrative controls are assessed annually or reassessed after an incident or near miss. Together these safety measures contribute to a culture of safety that helps to lower risk for laboratory employees, the public, and the environment.

Laboratory employees are at risk for coming into contact with biological, chemical, and physical hazards in their daily work. As part of OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, laboratories must follow certain guidelines to identify risks in the laboratory and do what they can to lower these risks. A hierarchy of safety controls should also be in place to mitigate risk. This video presents a scenario asking how new laboratory employees can find out what hazards are present in their laboratory.

Working in a laboratory can put an employee at risk for coming in contact with biological, chemical, and physical, and electrical hazards. In this video, a laboratory technician heats an unlabeled solution using a hot plate that is connected by a long extension cord to an outlet on the other side of the laboratory. The technician leaves the solution unattended, and another employee happens to trip over the cord, knock over the solution, and burn their hand on the hot plate. What were the circumstances leading to this incident and how could it have been avoided? What are some best practices for maintaining laboratory safety in this situation?

Directional airflow in the laboratory is an engineering control that keeps possibly contaminated air in a laboratory from reaching other areas. The constant influx of air directs flow through biological safety cabinets and fume hoods where the air can travel through filters. In this video, a laboratory technician notices that the flutter tape, indicating the direction of airflow, is showing that air is moving out of the laboratory instead of into the laboratory. What should this technician do next?

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are administrative controls that help reduce risk from harm by identifying hazards in the laboratory. An SOP usually outlines best practices, procedures, and guidelines for laboratory employees, while keeping track of regular risk assessments, training, and incidents. In this video, an employee is tasked with using a new procedure. When they look up the SOPs and risk assessments that are available, they find that the new protocol may have additional risks. What should they do next?

Wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), like a laboratory coat, can help protect employees from incidents like spilling or splashing biological or chemical hazards on themselves while performing procedures in the laboratory. In this video, a laboratory technician notices that a fellow employee is wearing their laboratory coat outside the laboratory in the office area. The technician worries that this practice could result in an exposure incident. What safety resources are available to help the technician identify whether this practice is an incident or near miss and direct them on how to address the situation?

Methylene chloride, a chemical used in many laboratory procedures, is a potential cancer-causing chemical that’s been known to harm the brain, liver, and heart after repeated exposure to large volumes. Even though only small volumes are used in the laboratory, the potential for harm requires methylene chloride to be used under the OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.1052. In this training video, the basic health hazards of methylene chloride are introduced, along with safety controls required by the OSHA standard to help mitigate your risk for exposure in the laboratory.

Cleaning Up a Spill demonstrates how to appropriately clean up a spill inside a biosafety cabinet.

Completing Work in a BSC demonstrates the steps to be performed after BSC work is completed.

Factors Affecting Airflow Inside the BSC demonstrates how Airflow in a biological safety cabinet or BSC can be interrupted, altered, and changed by many different factors. These interruptions can lead to potential exposures and/or product contamination.

Preparing for Work in a BSC demonstrates the performance checks, the proper placement of equipment, and additional tasks needed to prepare for working inside of a biological safety cabinet.

Safe Use of a BSC depicts best practices to work safely in a BSC.

This is a sample glutaraldehyde job hazard analysis that can be used to document the chemical’s hazards and controls by job step. It also contains information about emergency procedures, training, and review and monitoring.

This job aid details the steps for proper hand hygiene in the laboratory, including instructions for cleaning the hands with water or with an alcohol-based sanitizer.

This job aid introduces clinical and public health laboratory professionals to the hazards they may encounter while working in a clinical or public health laboratory, ways to mitigate risks, and the proper response to incidents.

The goal of this product is to provide laboratory supervisors and staff with an interactive workbook to share safety protocols and common work practices in the laboratory.

The goal of this product is to provide laboratory supervisors and staff with an interactive workbook to share safety protocols and common work practices in the laboratory.

The Laboratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Toolkit is a guide to resources on using PPE in clinical and public health laboratories.

This quick guide contains links to the resources included in the Laboratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Toolkit.

This job aid introduces clinical and public health laboratory professionals to the hazards they may encounter while working in a clinical or public health laboratory, ways to mitigate risks, and the proper response to incidents.

The Point of Care Testing (POCT) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Toolkit is a guide to resources on using PPE in POCT settings.

Job aid for the specific steps needed to safely remove the regulator from a compressed gas cylinder.

Guidance for strengthening the culture of safety in the laboratory as it pertains to reporting incidents and near misses.

This job aid introduces clinical and public health laboratory professionals to the hazards they may encounter while working in a clinical or public health laboratory, ways to mitigate risks, and the proper response to incidents.

Job aid for the specific steps needed to safely set the regulator pressure for a compressed gas cylinder.

Job aid for the specific steps needed to safely shut down and remove the regulator on a compressed gas cylinder.

This job aid provides tips for Selecting and Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

This job aid introduces clinical and public health laboratory professionals to the hazards they may encounter while working in a clinical or public health laboratory, ways to mitigate risks, waste disposal best practices, and the proper response to incidents.

Reference for items that are forbidden from being put down the drain.