757 Laboratory Safety

Additional Requirements

Additional requirements for laboratories conducting HIV and HBV research include:

Waste materials:
• All regulated waste (see 1910.1030(b)) must either be incinerated or decontaminated by a method such as autoclaving known to effectively destroy bloodborne pathogens.
• Contaminated materials that are to be decontaminated at a site away from the work area must be placed in a durable, leak-proof, labeled or color-coded container that is closed before being removed from the work area.
• Access:
• Laboratory doors must be kept closed when work involving HIV or HBV is in progress.
• Access to the production facilities' work area must be limited to authorized persons.
• Written policies and procedures must be established whereby only persons who have been advised of the potential biohazard, who meet any specific entry requirements, and who comply with all entry and exit procedures must be allowed to enter work areas.
• Access doors to the production facilities' work area or containment module must be self-closing.
• Work areas must be separated from areas that are open to unrestricted traffic flow within the building. Passage through two sets of doors must be the basic requirement for entry into the work area from access corridors or other contiguous areas. Physical separation of the high-containment work area from access corridors or other areas or activities may also be provided by a double-doored clothes-change room (showers may be included), airlock, or other access facility that requires passing through two sets of doors before entering the work area.
• The surfaces of doors, walls, floors and ceilings in the work area must be water-resistant so that they can be easily cleaned. Penetrations in these surfaces must be sealed or capable of being sealed to facilitate decontamination.

The above requirements do not apply to clinical or diagnostic laboratories engaged solely in the analysis of blood, tissue, or organs.

For more information on Bloodborne Pathogens, be sure to check out OSHAcademy courses 655 Bloodborne Pathogens in the Workplace and 755 Bloodborne Pathogens Program Management.

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