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UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS (BSI) <br />-1. Precautions for Laboratories <br />Blood and other body substances from all patients should be considered <br />infective. To supplement the Body -Flu' Precautions the following <br />precautions are recommended for health-care workers in clinical <br />laboratories. <br />a. All specimens of blood and body fluids will be put in a well - <br />constructed container with a secure lid to prevent leaking during <br />transport. Care should be taken when collecting each specimen to avoid <br />contaminating the outside of the container and the laboratory form that <br />accompanies the specimen. <br />b. Implementation of Body -Fluid Precautions for all patients eliminates <br />the need for warning labels or "isolation" labels on specimens since <br />blood and other body substances from all patients will be considered <br />infective. <br />All specimens collected by nursing personnel will be placed in zip-lok <br />bags for transporting. Specimens not placed in zip-lok bags will not <br />be accepted by the laboratory. Request slips will be kep: outside the <br />bag. <br />c. <br />All persons processing blood andbody-fluid specimens (e.g., removing <br />tops from vacuum tubes) will*wear gloves. Gloves will be changed and <br />hands washed after completion of specinen processing. <br />d. <br />For routine. procedures, such as histologic and pathologic studies or <br />microbiologic culturing, a biological safety cabinet is not necessary. <br />However, biological safety cabinets (Class I or. Il) should be used <br />whenever procedures are conducted that have a:high potential for <br />generatilg droplets or splashing. These include activities such as <br />blending„ sonicating, and vigorous riixing.' Specinens will be opened <br />and handled under a splatter guard provided at each work 'station. <br />e. <br />Mechanical pipetting devices should be used for manipulating all <br />liquids .in the laboratory. Mouth pipetting must not be done. <br />f. <br />Use of needles and syringes will be limited to situations in which <br />there is no alternative, and the recommendations for preventing <br />injuries from needles outlined under "Body -Fluid Precautions" will be <br />followed. <br />g. <br />Laboratory work surfaces will be decontaminated with an appropriate <br />chemical germicide after a spill of blood or other body fluids and when <br />work activities are conpelte . <br />h. <br />Contaminated materials used in laboratory tests will be decontaminated <br />before reprocessing or be placed in bags and disposed of in accordance <br />with institutional loolicies for disposal of infective waste. <br />