The following engineering controls will be utilized:
i. Biological Safety Cabinets provide containment of infectious aerosols; isolate the operator from the agent; protect other personnel in the room. Cabinets must be certified annually or whenever moved. Consult EHRS for assistance with cabinet selection and proper placement in the laboratory.
ii. Sharps containers must be used for disposal of all needles, syringes and other sharps. Disposable sharps shall be separated from reusable sharps at the time of their disposal. All sharps shall be placed in an appropriate sharps container immediately or as soon as possible after use. Place sharps containers as near to procedure area as possible.
Sharps containers must be non-breakable, puncture resistant, leak proof, sealable and labeled with the universal biohazard symbol. Filled sharps containers will be removed for decontamination and cleaning by designated personnel in each department. Sharps containers must be replaced periodically when they are 2/3-3/4 full. For more details, consult the EHRS Laboratory Sharps Waste Management Procedure.
Reusable syringes and needles and other sharps must be placed in a separate container filled with disinfectant prior to decontamination and cleaning. To eliminate sorting later, do not place reusable sharps in pans containing pipettes or other glassware.
iii. Mechanical pipetting devices must be used. Mouth pipetting is prohibited.
iv. Sharps with engineered sharps injury protection and needleless systems are recommended. University personnel evaluate devices for effectiveness in reducing the risk of exposure incidents. Contact EHRS at (215) 898-4453, refer to the EHRS web site, and/or see Appendix G of this Exposure Control Plan for more information.
v. Splash guards and plastic backed absorbent pads must be used to contain the spread of blood and potentially infectious material in the laboratory.
vi. Sealed rotor heads and centrifuge cups are used to avoid accidental spills and are an integral part of routine centrifuge operation.
The above controls will be examined and maintained on a regular schedule. The schedule for reviewing the effectiveness of the engineering controls is the responsibility of the PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/AREA SUPERVISOR. Contaminated equipment (biosafety cabinets, mechanical pipetting devices, splash guards, etc.) must be decontaminated at the end of the workday or after a spill.