Importance of Safety in the Laboratory

Serena Cuoghi
Title of Professor of Biology

The implementation of a set of security measures and protocols within the laboratory is essential in order to safeguard the physical and emotional integrity of the researchers, technicians and students who work there, in the same way, it is essential to protect the environment from possible damage caused by substances and materials that may be being used, so all types of laboratories must establish rigorous safety protocols, which must be fully known and application by each of the members of the staff performing functions, this being one of the reasons why laboratories usually have access restricted.

Among the main measures to be worked on are: 1) the use of personal protective equipment, such as gowns, gloves, goggles and masks, while limiting the use of clothing and accessories ornamental; 2) the safe storage of all kinds of substances, materials and even the equipment itself; 3) clear identification of substances and materials; and 4) adequate training to handle hazardous substances and materials.

Potentially hazardous substances and materials, such as chemicals, radiation and biological material of different kinds, representing a latent risk in the face of any clumsiness that may be committed, requiring high levels of concentration and attention when inside them, both by their operating personnel and by any eventual visitor.

In addition, it is essential to have clear and updated protocols for potential emergency situations, such as fires, spills and accidental release of hazardous substances, complemented with those that may be necessary due to other environmental factors typical of the location of the laboratory, such as earthquakes, floods, loads of static or any other of geographical or climatological origin as a potential source of emergencies, it being necessary to keep clear all the contingencies that can minimize the risks generateable.

In the same way, a safe laboratory also establishes the adequate and safe disposal of residues and hazardous waste, in order to avoid possible contamination both internally as well as the environment, being more than necessary a correct handling of these, but also how their correct disposal process will be once outside the instances of the laboratory.

Efficiency and effectiveness

Safety protocols in the laboratory are not only essential to ensure a safe working environment, but also allow for more accurate and reliable results. by means of which to guarantee greater quality control, whatever the procedure and the results towards which the product is intended. laboratory.

When safety procedures are not followed properly, mishaps and/or contaminations may end up occurring that affect the processing of substances, interfering with the results that were expected, or even cause accidents that could endanger the health and life of the researchers themselves, thus affecting the availability of and skills of specialized personnel that cannot be replaced easily or lightly, which represents one of the greatest risks for any line of research experimental.

Quality controls

To avoid cross-contamination of samples within a laboratory, which may end up affecting the results and thus generate possible and large economic and time losses, the protocols on quality controls must be extended towards the consideration of the acquisition of the required substances and materials, since when making acquisitions of poor quality inputs, not much can be expected about the quality of their performance, which ends up becoming one of the most frequent errors in laboratories, especially those for didactic purposes, where unfortunately the quality and validity of the inputs are often underestimated because experimental education is considered less important than the theoretical.

On the other hand, laboratory personnel must also comply with the appropriate cleaning and disinfection procedures, in order to avoid introducing and transferring Potential contaminants and various pathogens that can later cause contamination in samples, reagents, media and substances, thus altering the results and affecting quality control, hence the safety in the laboratory is the crucial factor that guarantees an optimal work environment in all its meanings for through which to obtain precise and reliable results guaranteed by a dynamic quality control that allows the permanent evaluation of each one of the procedures and resources, as well as the correct handling of waste and waste generated as a result of the work of the institution in which it is carried out. find.

References

Carrera, e. g. (2005). NTP 359: Safety in the laboratory: management of toxic and dangerous waste in small quantities. Technical Notes National Institute of Safety and Hygiene at Work. Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Spain.

Lazo Garcia, E. (2004). Safety Manual in Molecular Microbiology Laboratories. UNAM.

Farras, M. g. R. (2001). NTP 725: Safety in the laboratory: storage of chemical products. Technical Notes on Prevention, 10.

Fernndez Llanes, R. J., & Cruz Castillo, F. d. L. (1986). Occupational biological risk and safety measures in medical laboratories. Rev. Cuba. med. trop, 54-61.