CAP Pro Course - Safety - Laboratory Waste and Spill Management

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Author: Robert Nickla, RBP, M(ASCP)
Reviewer: Daniel J. Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ)

Continuing Education Credits

Objectives

  • Distinguish between the different types of laboratory waste.
  • Identify the responsibilities of regulatory agencies and laboratory personnel to ensure practices are in place to minimize exposure to the hazards associated with laboratory waste.
  • Identify the proper precautions necessary for handling, storing, disposing, and transporting of the various types of waste according to regulatory guidelines.
  • Recognize the type, extent, and proper clean up procedures of spills.

Course Outline

  • Distinguish between the different types of laboratory waste.
      • Types of Laboratory Waste
      • Chemical Waste
      • Infectious/Biohazardous Waste
      • Radioactive Waste
      • Multihazardous Waste
      • Nonhazardous Waste
      • Sharps
      • Which of the following is not a classification characteristic of EPA hazardous chemical waste?
      • Sam's laboratory is considering using methanol instead of heat to fix bacterial Gram stains and the safety committee asked Sam how they would need to ...
      • Joelle recently started working in the Mycobacteria high containment laboratory when she was notified the laboratory was going to be temporarily shut ...
      • While working at the clinic’s last day administering influenza vaccines, Julie, who works in the laboratory, was helping the nurses clean up and...
  • Identify the responsibilities of regulatory agencies and laboratory personnel to ensure practices are in place to minimize exposure to the hazards associated with laboratory waste.
      • Federal Laws and Regulations
      • State and Local Regulations
      • Responsibility for Compliance with Regulatory Guidelines
      • Minimizing Possible Exposure or Injury and Managing Risks
      • Reporting Exposures, Occupational Injuries, and Risks
      • Which of the following is true?
      • Christina has been appointed the laboratory’s new Chemical Hygiene Officer and will be responsible for ensuring hazardous chemicals and hazardou...
      • Erin was just notified that her shipment containing several Zika virus samples and a biopsy sample in formalin leaked within the hospital employed cou...
      • Jennifer accepted a new laboratory manager position in the hospital’s new satellite laboratory and will now be responsible for safety. Which of ...
  • Identify the proper precautions necessary for handling, storing, disposing, and transporting of the various types of waste according to regulatory guidelines.
      • Identifying Waste Streams
      • Waste Streams: Separation, Segregation, Disposal, and Labeling
      • Waste Handling: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
      • Waste Handling: Engineering Controls
      • Waste Storage
      • Waste Transport and Treatment
      • Which of the following would be false for the minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) needed when handling chemical waste?
      • Which of the following is true for how many sharps containers are needed to be present within the laboratory?
      • The laboratory’s Safety Officer, Patty, is responsible for reviewing each waste stream generated to determine applicable federal, state, and loc...
      • Joe has been asked to review all the safety procedures in the laboratory, in accordance with their associated hazards and the related work each materi...
  • Recognize the type, extent, and proper clean up procedures of spills.
      • Determining the Type and Extent of Spills
      • Spill Management Procedures
      • In the event of a large spill with a hazardous or infectious material, who should be the person who responds to clean it up?
      • Which of the following is not a characteristic of a minor spill?
      • This morning Andy was about to start working inside the biological safety cabinet (BSC) to process infectious respiratory specimens when he realized h...
      • Ryan was bringing a large cart of laboratory waste down the hallway which only contained one small infectious sharps container and one small red bag o...
  • References
      • References

Additional Information

Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: This program is designed as an educational and training tool for MLS, MT, and MLT personnel, medical laboratory science students and interns, pathology residents, and practicing pathologists.
Author: Rob Nickla, RBP, M(ASCP), began his public health career in 2004 at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory where he was a Public Health Microbiologist in the sections of Mycobacteriology, Bacteriology, and Virology. He has since worked as the State Training Coordinator and Bioterrorism Training Coordinator in the Bioemergency Response Section and as an Associate Biosafety Officer in the Environmental Health and Safety Department at Arizona State University (ASU). Currently, Rob is the BT and CT LRN (Laboratory Response Network) Coordinator and State Training Coordinator with the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL).
Reviewer Information: Daniel J. Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) has over 25 years of experience as a certified Medical Technologist. He has a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Amherst and Buffalo, New York. Dan worked as a laboratory generalist in hospitals ranging in size from 75 to 800 beds before becoming a laboratory manager. After 10 years of lab management, he became the Laboratory Safety Officer for a system of more than 10 hospitals and over 20 laboratories and draw sites in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

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