LAB SAFETY GUIDELINES

I. BLOOD

The National Research Council (Biosafety In The Laboratory, 1989) recommends that human blood be treated as an infectious agent. This class uses only cow blood, but you should still practice using the universal precautions outlined below.

1. WEAR GLOVES when taking blood samples.

2. Wash hands immediately and thoroughly after any contact with blood and after removing gloves.

3. SHARPS (lancets, needles, hematocrit tubes, broken blood-contaminated glassware) and blood-contaminated materials should be placed in the sharps container immediately after use. DO NOT try to recap lancets or needles.

4. Persons with exudative lesions or weeping dermatitis may not give or take blood samples.

II. DISSECTIONS

Dissection specimens used in this lab are either preserved or food-quality, and are not classified as infectious. Gloves may be worn for dissections but are not required. The instruments and area should be thoroughly washed with soap and water after each dissection.

III. URINE

No urine specimens should be taken from persons with urinary tract infections. All instruments and the area should be thoroughly washed with soap and water at the end of lab.

IV. FOOD AND DRINK

NO FOOD AND DRINK ARE ALLOWED IN THIS LAB

WHEN DISSECTIONS OR CHEMICAL ANALYSES ARE BEING PERFORMED, UNLESS THEY ARE PART OF AN APPROVED EXPERIMENT

One way to alter blood salinity used in this lab is to drink a 2% NaCl solution. People with the following conditions MAY NOT drink this solution:

hypertension renal insufficiency or disease

atherosclerosis, aneurysm, other arterial disease adrenal imbalance

cardiac disease or defects pregnancy

Persons under medical care for any other condition should check with their physician before drinking this solution.