CHAPTER 3

• Types of safety hazards in the laboratory are:

  1. Biologic
  2. Chemical
  3. Electrical
  4. Fire
  5. Radioactive
  6. Sharps
• The chain of infection requires a continuous link through three primary elements: the reservoir, the means of transmission, and the susceptible host.
• most important and effective means of preventing the spread of infection and antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

  hand hygiene
• refer to infection control measures that use barrier protection and work practice controls to prevent contact between skin or mucous membranes and blood, other body fluids and tissues from all people.

  Standard precautions
• Elements in the chain of infection

  1. Infectious agent
  2. reservoir
  3. portal of exit
  4. means of transmission
  5. portal of entry
  6. susceptible host
• Means of Transmission refers to how the pathogen travels from one person to another. The most common modes of transmission are direct contact, indirect contact, droplet nuclei, and vectorborne.
• Portal of Exit is the site where an infectious agent leaves its source (the reservoir).
• Reservoirs can be human (e.g., patient) or animal (e.g., pet). They may also include environmental sources such as soil, water, air, food, and fomites (inanimate objects).
• Isolation means the separation of an infection source from susceptible hosts, thereby breaking the chain of infection
• three main transmission-based precautions:

  1. airborne precautions
  2. Droplet precautions
  3. Contact precautions
• used for patients known to have or suspected of having a disease transmitted by airborne

  Airborne precautions
• used for patients known to have or suspected of having a disease transmitted by large infectious droplets that can be deposited on the conjunctivae or mucous membranes of a susceptible host

  Droplet precautions
• used for patients known to have or suspected of having diseases or conditions transmitted by direct patient contact or by contact with items in the patient's environment.

  Contact precautions
• are infectious organisms carried in the blood, certain body fluids and unfixed tissues.

  Bloodborne pathogens
• This sheet of information contains the nature of the chemical, its hazards, procedures for decontamination and even first aid in case of injury.

  material safety date sheet (MSDS)
• R.A.C.E.

  Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish
• P.A.S.S.

  pull, aim, squeeze, sweep