PRIN_L14

• The functions of a laboratory aide may include but not limited to the following:

  
  

  1. Washing of laboratory glassware and instruments
  2. Cleaning laboratory workbenches
  3. Helping in mixing chemical solutions
  4. Preparing & segregating laboratory-accumulated waste materials for disposal
  5. Cleaning & restocking laboratory supplies
  6. Operates autoclaves to sterilize instruments & glassware, in addition to maintaining the cleanliness of the lab equipment & the lab in general
• Lab glassware

  Should be clean, sterile, & grease-free
• Washing Lab Glassware


  1. Inspect thoroughly, dried in a drying oven at 150 C

  2. Capped using an aluminum foil, & finally placed in a closet cabinet for storage
• Removing Grease

  1. Boil the glassware in a weak sol'n of sodium carbonate, acetone, or any fat solvent

  2. For silicon grease, soak the stopcock plug or barrel in warm decahydronaphthalene for 2 hrs

  3. Drain, rinse with acetone, or use fuming sulfuric acid for 30 min.

  4. Rinse off all the cleaning agents
• Rinsing


  1. Glassware – rinse the glassware using running tap water. Rinse with distilled water or use a large bath of distilled water.

  2. Test tubes, graduated cylinders, and flasks – allow the tap water to run into & over them. Then, partly fill each piece with water, shake, and empty for about 6x.

  3. Pipets – attach a piece of rubber tubing to the faucet, then connect the delivery end to a hose to allow water to run through them.
• Culture Tubes


  1. Autoclave for 30 min. at 121 C (15 psi pressure)

  2. If there are media that solidify upon cooling, pour them out while the tubes are still hot.

  3. Empty the tubes.

  4. Brush with detergent & water.

  5. Rinse with tap water thoroughly.

  6. Rinse using distilled water.

  7. Place the tubes in a basket & let them dry.

  8. Do not plug until the medium is added when preparing culture tubes that are to be filled with a medium. Sterilize both the medium and the culture tubes with one autoclaving.

  9. On the other hand, plug & sterilize the culture tubes in the autoclave before adding the medium if the culture tubes are to be filled with a sterile medium.
• Dishes & Culture Tubes

  1. Sterilize and clean following the procedure for cleaning culture tubes

  2. Wrap them in heavy paper or place them in a petri dish can

  3. Sterilize the dishes and culture bottles using the autoclave or a dry-air sterilizer
• Pipets


  1. Place pipets with tips down in a cylinder or tall jar of water immediately after use.

  2. Do not drop them into the jar because the tips may break or chip.

  3. Place a pad of cotton or glass wool at the bottom of the jar to avoid breaking the tips.

  4. Make sure that the water level is high enough to immerse most if not the whole pipet.

  5. Drain & place in a cylinder or jar of dissolved detergent. Soak in a jar of chromic acid cleaning solution if exceptionally dirty.

  6. After soaking, drain them. Run tap water over and through the pipets until you are sure that all traces of dirt are removed.

  7. Soak the pipets in distilled water for at least 1 hr.

  8. Remove them from the distilled water.

  9. Rinse and dry the outside portion using a cloth.

  10. Shake the water out of the pipets and let them dry.
• Sterilizing and Storing Clean Glassware

  1. Serology Tube and Culture Media – Could be placed in a large bucket or boiler. Add 1% - 2% soap or detergent before letting it boil for 30 min. Rinse with tap water, scrubbed with detergent, & rinse once again. An autoclave, large steam oven, or a similar equipment can be used to sterilize the glassware.

  2. Test Tubes, Culture Tubes, Flasks, & other Lab Wares – Dried by hanging them on wooden pegs. Could be air-dried by placing them in baskets with mouths downward or simply dried using an oven with drying temperatures below 140 C. The drying basket should be lined with a clean cloth to ensure that the vessel mouth is clean. Pipets & cylinders are dried by standing them on a folded towel.

  3. Clean glassware pieces – Protected from dust by plugging them with cotton, corking, or merely placing a heavy piece of paper over the mouth & sealing them with tape before placing them in a dust-free cabinet. Can also be stored in specially designed racks making sure that the pieces remain separate to avoid breakage. Alkaline liquids should not be stored in flasks because the stoppers or stopcocks may stick.
• Always examine the glassware for damage & discard any cracked or broken glassware in the proper disposal container.
• Clean & remove any residue including all tapes and labels.
• Use automatic cleaning apparatuses like lab washing machine, automated pipette, burette washers, etc.. if available.
• Autoclave contaminated glassware to sterilize.
• Air-dry if it will not be used right away. Hot air drying racks can be used to accelerate the drying process.
• Store the glassware in the proper place after drying.
• Maintenance of the General Laboratory Work Areas

  1. Floors should be clutter-free.

  2. Materials should be returned to their designated places after use.

  3. The lab exit floor plan should have two clear passageways.

  4. Safety showers, eyewashes, fire extinguishers, & electrical control boxes should be accessible & strategically placed.

  5. Sink traps and floor drains should be maintained & filled with water to avoid sewer gases from escaping the laboratories.

  6. Bench apparatus should be placed away from any edges.

  7. The cleaning of the lab working area should be scheduled upon completion of tests or at the end of the working day.

  8. Bench tops and liners are kept free from visible contamination.

  9. Spills should be cleaned immediately to prevent slips, trips, & falls.

  10. Doors and drawers are kept closed & passageways should be free from obstructions.
• Set of cleaning materials required in the lab

  • 12% Lysol (phenolic disinfectant or other suitable mycobactericidal disinfectant)
  • 3.5% sodium hypochlorite solution or household bleach
  • Spray bottles
  • PPE (gowns/lab coats, mask, gloves)
  • Broom
  • Mop
  • bucket
• 1% sodium hypochlorite solution


  For daily cleaning
• 70% ethanol


  To produce 1L, take 700 ml of absolute ethanol & add 300 ml of distilled water
• Lysol (5% phenolic solution)

  To produce 1L of 5% Lysol, add 450 ml of 12% Lysol to 550 ml of distilled water
• For daily cleaning procedure

  1. Fresh cleaning sol'ns should be prepared.

  2. PPE should be worn when cleaning the area.

  3. Pieces of equipment are cleaned according to corresponding SOP.

  4. Materials that prevent thorough cleaning are removed.

  5. 5% Lysol sol'n is poured and spread on the work surface with paper towel.
• Weekly cleaning of the work area

  1. Using soap sol'n followed by 5% Lysol sol'n to clean outer surfaces of the cupboards, lab trolleys, sinks and chairs.

  2. Cleaning the ultrasonic water bath using hypochlorite (bleach) sol'n & refilling with fresh distilled water.

  3. Cleaning the racks and tubes on a weekly basis by immersing them in 5% Lysol and allowing them to air dry.

  4. Racks for molecular testing are cleaned after use by immersing them in 1% sodium hypochlorite (bleach) sol'n.
• Waste Mgt. Component


  • Management authorization (signatures)
  • Accumulation of wastes for disposal
  • Identification and inspection of waste storage areas
  • Waste classification and segregation
  • Record-keeping
  • Decontamination materials (storage of unused and spent decontamination materials)
  • Publicly-owned treatment works disposal
  • Permits and reporting requirements
  • Waste neutralization requirements
  • Waste storage
  • Satellite requirements
  • Storage accumulation and date requirements
  • Primary containment
  • Waste shipment
  • Federal and state regulations
  • Waste container packaging and labeling
  • Arranging for shipment and preparation of shipment papers
  • Packaging requirements
  • Disposal options
  • Landfill (land-ban restrictions, acceptable wastes, packing requirements)
  • Incineration (acceptable wastes, packing requirements)
  • Health and safety for storage and transportation areas
  • Training requirements
  • PPE
  • Exposure monitoring
  • Plan implementation
  • Information accessibility by staff
  • Laboratory accountability
  • Audits
  • Record-keeping requirements
  • Requirement for review and updates
• Tiers of Strategic Hierarchy

  • Green chemistry – pollution prevention and source reduction
  • Reuse, redistribute, and reduce – reuse unwanted materials, redistribute surplus chemicals, & reduce hazards
  • Recycle – recycling chemicals and recover energy from waste
  • Environmental fate of the waste – incineration, land disposal, and other treatment mtds.
• Good Practices & Basic Requirements in Handling Lab-accumulated Waste Materials

  1. Collect hazardous or flammable waste solvents in containers pending transfer or disposal.

  2. Do not mix incompatible waste to avoid occurrence of heat generation, gas evolution, or other reactions.

  3. Always segregate wastes according to how they will be managed.

  4. Always observe the compatibility of containers & the waste contents. Always keep containers closed.

  5. Provide a container (plastic or metal) for collection of liquid waste and occasionally clean the frame arresters, which can be plugged if there are sediments.

  6. Do not use galvanized steel safety can for halogenated waste solvents to avoid corrosion and leaks.

  7. Label the waste containers with their contents clearly and properly.

  8. Cap the waste containers after use.

  9. Separately collect aqueous wastes from organic solvent wastes.

  10. Place solid chemical wastes in a labeled container prior to disposal.

  11. Dispose non-hazardous solid wastes using the lab trash or segregate them for recycling.
• When disposing empty containers, remove the labels and empty the contents prior to recycling or disposal to regular normal trash.
• Rinse the container properly if necessary.
• Follow the set of lab guidelines for disposing empty containers for non-hazardous and non-regulated lab chemicals.
• Lab wastes must be stored in containers which are properly labeled & strategically placed in locations that do not interfere with the normal lab traffic.
• Lab waste materials in the satellite accumulation should not be kept for more than a year.
• Amount of waste exceeding 55 gal (or 1 qt) limit should be managed accordingly within 3 days.
• Philippine Health Care Waste Mgt. Program