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Each principal investigator is responsible for developing spill clean-up
procedures that are appropriate for the materials used in the laboratory,
as well as assuring that a spill kit is
assembled and placed in a strategic location outside of, but near to, an
area where a spill could occur.
Furthermore, anyone working with biological materials must receive
training in spill clean-up appropriate for materials routinely used.
Use the following procedures to deal with a spill of biohazardous
materials, either inside a Biological Safety Cabinet, or outside of
one:
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Hold your breath, leave the room immediately, and close the door. One good
way to identify the spill area is to drop your laboratory coat on the area;
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Warn others not to enter the contaminated area;
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Remove contaminated garments and put them into a container for autoclaving.
Thoroughly wash your hands and face and any other exposed areas of the body.
If the spill involves potential exposure of bloodborne pathogens,
follow the procedures found in Section IV.E. of the University of Washington
Biohazard Safety Manual, Injury Policy and Accident Reporting;
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Wait 30 minutes to allow dissipation of aerosols created by the spill if in
a laboratory where the airflow is negative relative to the surrounding areas.
For spills in other areas, it may be appropriate to begin the clean-up
immediately after assembling the needed clean-up
materials;
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Put on a long-sleeve gown, mask, and rubber gloves before re-entering the
room. For a high risk agent, a jumpsuit with tight-fitting wrist seals and
use of a respirator should be considered;
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Pour a decontaminant solution appropriate for the agent involved (e.g.
household bleach is an appropriate decontaminant
for human blood and body fluids) around the spill and allow to flow into
the spill. Paper towels soaked with the decontaminant may be used to cover
the area. To minimize aerosolization, avoid pouring the decontaminant
solution directly onto the spill;
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Let stand for 20 minutes to allow an adequate contact time;
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Using an autoclavable dust pan and squeegee, transfer all contaminated
materials (paper towels, glass, liquid, gloves, etc.) into a deep autoclave
pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or other suitable cover and
autoclave according to standard directions. Reusable items should be
separated from non-autoclavable plastic, as the plastic will melt and will
then be impossible to remove from other items in contact with them.
In order to prevent escape of contaminants from the cabinet and
while the cabinet continues to operate, chemical decontamination procedures
are recommended and should be initiated at once.
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Spray or wipe walls, work surfaces, and equipment within the cabinet with a
solution of an appropriate decontaminant for
the agent involved. If the gloves being used are not puncture resistant,
additional care is necessary if the spill involves broken glass or other
sharp material;
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Flood the top work surface tray and, if it is a Class II biological safety
cabinet, the drain pans and catch basins below the work surface with the
decontaminant and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes. The contact time should
be extended to 30 minutes for large spills or spills containing large amounts
of proteinaceous material;
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Remove excess decontaminant from the tray by wiping with a sponge or cloth
soaked in decontaminant. For Class II biological safety cabinets, drain the
tray into the catch basin below the work surface, lift out the tray and
removable front intake grille, and wipe off top and bottom (underside)
surfaces with a sponge or cloth soaked in a decontaminant. Replace the grille
and drain decontaminant from the cabinet base into an appropriate container
and autoclave according to standard procedures. Be sure to place gloves,
cloth, and/or sponge into an autoclave pan to be autoclaved.
If a biohazardous agent is spilled during transport outside the laboratory,
the main difference from the first procedure is to initiate the cleanup
immediately. Otherwise, use those procedures.
Because it would already be too late to prevent aerosolization in this case,
it is better to place extra emphasis on prevention of spills during
transport:
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Develop a procedure for the removal of biohazardous materials for incubation,
refrigeration, or for any other reason from the laboratory, and enforce
adherance to it;
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Place all such materials in an unbreakable container that would prevent the
escape of liquid or aerosol if it were dropped. One-gallon or half-gallon
paint pails are good examples of acceptable containers;
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Label the container with the biohazard symbol to ensure no mistake is made
as to the contents.
*Information taken from "Laboratory Safety, Principals and Practices,
Second Edition", Chapter 14, "Decontamination, Sterilization, Disinfection,
and Antisepsis" by Donald Vesley and James L. Lauer.
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